DWI problem needs fixing at the source, not in courts

Editor,

I am deeply saddened by the death of the four family members from Las Vegas, N.M., who died in a car accident caused by a drunken driver. My heart goes out to the sole survivor, who has lost her sisters and her parents due to alcohol abuse and poor judgment. Unfortunately, unless we rethink how we approach the problem of drunken driving as a society, these people will simply be more unnecessary victims in a nation that has had its priorities misplaced for far too long.

As a native New Mexican, I understand all too well that New Mexico has long had problems with repeat drunken drivers and more than its fair share of DWIs. While many changes have been made since the drive-through liquor stores of my youth, we are still a long way from treating the problem of drunken driving at its source.

I have often wondered in times like these why people vehemently blame the judicial system, continuing to expect stricter laws and longer prison sentences to solve the problem of repeat drunken drivers. Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? The message is pretty clear - it isn't working, folks. The truth is, no one can stop a person from making egregious errors in judgment, either with the fear of large fines or long prison sentences. If a person is going to drink and drive, a person is going to drink and drive - period - and no one, not even God, is going to stop him or her.

The solution is very simple - pass legislation that requires every vehicle in this country to be equipped with a Breathalyzer, so if a potential operator is intoxicated, he or she cannot operate the vehicle. This one action alone would eliminate drunken driving altogether.

I am not saying drunken drivers don't deserve to be punished for what they do. I am just tired of hearing people blame the DWI problem on weak laws and a flawed judicial system while making no effective changes.

It is my hope that these innocent people on their way home from a soccer tournament didn't die

in vain.

Lucinda Ulrich

Daily Lobo reader