On Educating DUIs
Jeanne Wright, in a column published August 25 '04 in the L.A. Times ("When the fun stops in summer," in the Highway 1 section), writes that a spokesman from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration explains that highway fatalities from DUIs are increasing because "a new generation...hasn't heard the message or just doesn't care" on the dangers of drinking and driving. My response:
Since efforts began 25 years ago to educate and tighten the laws on DUIs, the number of fatalities initially went down because the educating taught non-alcoholics that drinking and driving is dangerous. When non-addicts stopped engaging in this misbehavior, only alcoholics (and other-drug addicts) were left. Alcoholics do not respond to educational campaigns because, as recovering addicts tell ...
