Don't Drink and Drive

Driving under the influence of alcohol continues to occur more often on New Year’s Eve than any other night of the year. As December 31, 2011 approaches, it is worth noting that despite stricter laws and penalties for DUI and DWI, the best solution to this problem is responsible behavior by everyone who is planning to drive on New Year’s Eve.

Not a realistic expectation, however, given the statistics. Even in a small state like Connecticut, alcohol-related fatalities have averaged over 300 per year for the past 20 years, even though the total has been closer to 200 in recent years. Progress? Perhaps, but still far too many lives lost. First and second DUI and DWI offenses are only misdemeanors; third and subsequent offenses are felonies in Connecticut.

I doubt that any number of statistics will convince anyone not to drink (or take drugs) and drive. Witnessing the effects of drunk driving on any individual or family might have such an effect, however. This was the subject of a recent (December 19) TNT episode of “The Closer.”  A college student was killed by the police commissioner's wife, who was driving drunk after a night out with some friends. As is often the case, this woman was a repeat offender, whose previous arrest record had been expunged due to her husband’s influence (another aspect of the problem). The woman’s crime was a hit and run; it also included lying to the police who were investigating the accident, as well as trying to cover up the truth from her husband and daughter. It was the daughter, who had suffered for years because of her mother’s drinking, who ultimately facilitated justice by telling the truth about her mother, who remained in denial.

Viewers of the show cannot help but be angry with such people who drink and drive, and feel sympathy for their victims: in this case, for the college student whose promising life was snuffed out, and for her parents, who were left to live without their only child. Similar stories happen by the thousands every day and night of the year in this country, and not only on December 31. But one can hope that this New Year's Eve, some individuals and families will be spared the grief and lifelong suffering caused by drunk driving.