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Don't just stand there

Friends do not let friends drive drunk. Or at least that is the line Tucson Police Department is taking in its case against a local man who drove his intoxicated friend to his vehicle and let him drive home. Many might question a friend's responsibility in his friend's unlawful act, but when over 15,000 people a year are killed by drunk drivers; it is time for society to demand that people act responsibly.

It is hard to imagine, but at least once every 30 seconds a person in America is injured by a drunk driver. Many people have some sort of link to someone who had either driven drunk, or someone who has been injured by a drunk driver. There have been some high-profile drunk driving deaths in Tucson: in one a 21-year-old young lady celebrated her birthday too vigorously and killed a police officer; in another, a mini-van with a family freshly back from Disneyland was killed by a drunk man who ran a stop sign. Sadly, these preventable deaths seem as inevitable as a winter flu season.

When a person in our community dies or is injured by a drunk driver, people shake their heads, but then go back to their lives, thinking it is not their problem. Despite the talks everyone receives in high school about drunk driving, despite the public service announcements, people continue to drink and drive. Drinking socially and irresponsibly is still incredibly common.

Sure, drinking at a bar is an honored tradition in this country. Our founding fathers were not opposed to drinking a brew at the local public house, and then mounting their horses and heading on home. But we all know that was different. When our ancestors rode home, the only morons they could hurt were themselves.

Times have changed, and yet some Americans' ideas about it have not changed. Now, we have these newfangled machines called cars. Cars are dangerous enough when operated sober. They can go at speeds up to 120 mph and require a great deal of motor skill and mental alertness to operate. And when a car is in the hands of the chemically impaired, it becomes a lethal weapon.

There are laws in place in this country to protect the public from impaired drivers, but until now, the law has neglected the responsibility that the people who serve and enjoy alcohol alongside their inebriated friends bear. It is time this society takes a close look at those who stand silent and fail to protect the lives of innocent people.

The truth is that people who end up killing people while intoxicated have an average of two or three previous DUI convictions. They also tend to be males who are 25-35 years old who drink socially. That means they drink with other people - people they probably consider their friends.

People who let their friends drink and drive are not friends at all. They are lazy individuals who obviously do not care enough about themselves or the community to keep their idiotic buddies off the road. People who are too shortsighted to think of the possible effects of letting their friends on the road are not the kind of people who make for great citizens. For their irresponsibility they should be punished.

It is also fairly easy to prevent a drunk person from driving. You take their keys, call them a cab, make them sleep it off in your home. It would take only a little effort to save the lives of over 15,000 Americans a year.

Our community should applaud the actions of the police department and the Pima County Attorney's Office for prosecuting this man. An example should be made of his stupidity to serve as a reminder to others who have turned a blind eye when a drunk friend has gotten behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. To drink, or not, is a personal decision. But when a person enters a vehicle intoxicated he or she is a danger to the entire community. And an even greater crime is committed when a person stands by and lets a preventable tragedy occur.