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The dramatic reductions in alcohol related fatalities during the 1980s and 1990s are cause for celebration. Thanks to the efforts of law enforcement, traffic safety groups, and the hospitality industry, the nation now understands that drunk driving is a serious crime with deadly consequences. As a result, the problem has been reduced to what Mothers Against Drunk Driving calls “a hard core of alcoholics who do not respond to public appeals.”

While the drunk driving problem has changed, the nation’s plan to confront it remains geared to the dangers we faced decades ago. The traffic safety community continues to call for “education” campaigns, red ribbons, and roadblocks—all of which are public relations tactics, not enforcement. These product abusers will not be deterred by red ribbons and roadblocks; they need to be caught, punished, and treated for their problem.

In order to catch this “hard core,” police need to rove the highways in search of the erratic driving that is the mark of a drunk driver. Roadblocks will not catch hard core drunk drivers. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study found that “The number of DWI arrests made by the roving patrol program was nearly three times the average number of DWIs made by the checkpoint programs.”

Moreover, states need to implement mandatory offender-paid alcoholism screening and treatment. Unless the underlying product abuse is dealt with, this “hard core” is likely to reoffend.

We know what the problem is, and how best to address it. Now is the time to act.

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