Despite education programs and television programs, the country is still plagued by an epidemic of negligence and stupidity. Drunk drivers continue to wage war on safe drivers with the heavy artillery of ignorance on the roads.
A few nights ago an innocent-looking driver appeared in front of my own car at around two in the morning. The Pontiac Grand Am, which happened to have a mirror hanging off its passenger side, seemed harmless to me as we waited at a stoplight.
Only seconds from my apartment, normally I wouldn't take notice of other cars on the road, just as long as they seem relatively safe. But whoever was driving this vehicle did not hide his or her intoxication well as they dodged back and forth between the dashed white lines on Sweet Home Road.
As the car gained speed heading north, the driver nearly missed hitting the curb on the median of the desolate road. Part of me hoped that the car would find an easily accessed destination of the many apartments in the area.
I'd like to think that my compassion for others drove me to follow the driver, even after we were well past my own destination. But to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what compelled me to follow them. If they got into an accident, what could I do other than try to avoid my own peril?
To my dismay, the driver persisted towards the I-990 expressway heading for the more densely populated areas west of UB.
As my own car accelerated to just over the speed limit, the Grand Am began to pull away at a frightening velocity; as I was going 70 miles per hour, the other driver must have been going at least 85, while evading the clutches of the treacherous guard rails.
Oftentimes the car would straddle the dashed white lines, which represented normal lane boundaries to sober drivers. Thankfully, the other cars surrounding the drunk would safely avoid the wayward path of the Grand Am.
After straying about five miles away from my apartment, I decided that my pursuit was finished. I turned around and headed for home back at UB.
I'm not sure how the night ended for this foolish person. I hope and pray to God that nobody was injured by the driver. And while the driver made a reckless choice to drive drunk, I also hope he or she reached their destination safely.
Nonetheless, I hope the driver was pulled over and arrested. Too many people make the decision to drive drunk. Is it arrogance? Is it ignorance? Is it the invincibility that so many people seem to think that they possess?
What is the answer to this endangerment of the public? How can we as a society deter people from drinking and driving?
Education seems not to be the answer. Every student in New York State is required to take a health class, which oftentimes includes a unit on drunk driving. In addition, any person desiring to get a New York state license is required to take a five hour course in driving or driver's education, both of which include sections on drunk driving. The information is out there; it simply isn't being absorbed.
The answer must then be harsher punishments for those who choose to break the law. There should be no more letting drunk drivers out on bail. No more license revocation; people will drive anyways. No more weak rehabilitation programs for DWI and DUI committers.
If we can't teach them passively in schools, we'll have to teach them aggressively when they are in prison. Take away their freedom and make them want to change. Make them see the errors in their ways. Make it so they don't have a choice to drink and drive. Make it so they don't have any choices at all.
There aren't too many people out there who sympathize with people who drink and drive. The only sympathy involved in a situation like this is towards the family who lost a daughter, a mother, a son, a father.
It is up to society to deter people from committing crimes by appealing to their representatives for more severe punishments.
Don't let one of your family members or friends fall victim to one of the drunk drivers I witnessed. Entreat everyone you know to petition your government - your legislators and your executives - to treat these people like the criminals they are.
Joshua Boston is a staff writer on The Spectrum's News Desk.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
