People who head out to university-area bars looking for a good time but end up too intoxicated to drive home have one less reason to put themselves and everybody else on the road in danger, thanks to a new service that keeps people from driving drunk.

Troy Wagner, who heads up the Tucson chapter of the Designated Drivers Association, started a service that shuttles people who have had to much to drink home in their own cars, with a sober volunteer behind the wheel.

Keeping drunken drivers off the road is, without question, important for saving lives. As shown by statistics gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, last year about 38 percent of traffic-accident deaths were attributed to drunken driving - 406 out of 1024 traffic fatalities in Arizona alone were alcohol related. Any attempt to avoid the wrenching pain of losing lives to irresponsible, drunken drivers is one that deserves support and praise.

The program's small volunteer team, which includes some UA students, is of added importance to the University of Arizona community because the program is utilized by two nearby bars, Gentle Ben's Brewery on East University Boulevard and Xs on North Fourth Avenue.