EDITORIAL:

“Why bother having a law against drinking and driving if no material punishment comes of it?”

Why indeed. This question was posed by the sister of Michael Kazak, the victim of a fatal DUI crash. Kazak was a passenger in a car driven by Robert Lee Hoover, who recently pleaded guilty to a DUI charge in exchange for a four-year sentence in state prison, the maximum sentence a person can receive for a felony DUI vehicular manslaughter (without gross negligence).

Kazak’s sister is right. Four years in prison for taking someone’s life is not enough punishment. And that four years can be cut in half for good behavior. While reforming these laws certainly should be at the forefront of lawmakers’ minds, the real reform should happen on a much smaller scale: in living rooms and bars.

Once a fatal DUI case gets to court, the victim is already dead, and the defendant has hired a lawyer whose sole purpose is to show that the prosecution’s case is less than air-tight. Even if the defendant receives the maximum sentence possible, the victim’s family is still left grieving.

In a majority of instances, a drunk person getting behind the wheel of a car never even imagines anything destructive will happen, much less that they could serve time in prison. This is where the problem lies. Because this person is drunk, his or her judgment is impaired. Therefore it is up to the people who still have their reasoning abilities intact to take the wheel.

If you are throwing a party with alcohol, it is your responsibility to make sure your guests are partying responsibly and getting home safely. This means you plan ahead and take preventive measures, such as:

 Collect car keys from your guests.

 Always serve food with alcohol.

 If you serve alcoholic punch, use a non-carbonated base such as fruit juice.

 Stop serving alcohol about two hours before the party is over.

Establishments that serve alcohol should take the most responsibility of all. Many bars already require bartenders to go through training to monitor drinking levels of their patrons. These establishments also take great pains to ensure patrons are 21 and older. Why not have an equally careful screening process as patrons exit, making sure they are fit to drive?

Some bar owners are already doing this by installing Breathalyzer machines. Patrons can breathe into a straw, and the talking machine will tell them their level of intoxication. Bar owners are keeping not only their patrons safe, but everyone else on the road, as well.

So, with summer parties around the corner, remember that drinkers and nondrinkers all play a part in preventing faulty judgment from turning into a tragic accident.