The scourge of drunk drivers

Ralph Doty wrote an interesting column in last week's Budgeteer News. I've have often thought about writing something similar but haven't done the research. When we lived in Sweden from 1970 to 1974 I had heard that even a member of Parliament was sentenced to prison for driving drunk.

Ralph's column led me to do a search on

Sweden "drunk driving" prison

giving over 60,000 references. An answer.com item led me to Vägverket's site (Swedish Highway Administration) and I did a further search to find a relevant document in English. If you want to read it, go to

http://publikationswebbutik.vv.se/shopping/ShowItem____3944.aspx

and click on "Ladda när document". This will download "National cooperation against drink and drug driving in traffic according to the Skellefte model" into your computer. The Skellefteå model is a very comprehensive program to combat a very serious problem.

BTW, if you read Swedish, you can also find some documents that relate some really sad stories about the consequences of drunk driving.

Hang up and drive!

Yesterday's Star Tribune had a couple of op-ed pieces on cell phone use and driving. Despite well-known statistics on the dangers of using a cell phone while driving, many people persist on using them, even after near misses.

A friend crossed over the yellow line on a curve while coming towards me, busily chatting away on her cell phone. When I chided her on it, my words went right over her head as if my warning was unimportant.

I've lost track of the near misses I've head with cell phone users.

What can be done about this threat to our own safety?

Many communities are passing laws to make cell phone use illegal while driving. But they've also had laws about speeding, running red lights, and driving while intoxicated. Too many people consider these laws impingements on their rights. Never mind the rights of their victims.

About the best that can be done is reduce the number of people acting unsafely.

Here are a couple of ideas that might help reduce cell phone use while driving.

Cell phone providers should change their manuals to stress not using cell phones while driving. Either let a passenger answer and make calls or wait until you can stop in a safe place. My cell phone manual has almost a page of advice about how to use a cell phone while driving. It should be changed to one word: Don't!

Insurance companies should amend their policies to automatically increase the deductible if the driver has an accident while impaired, either by substances or by use of a cell phone. Money does have a way of getting people's attention. This change probably would also require enabling legislation by states.

There are two personal things we can do to help reduce cell phone use by drivers.

The first is easy. I changed my cell phone voice mail message to:

Hi, this is Mel. Either my phone is off or I'm driving. If I'm driving I'll return you call as soon as I can stop safely.

The second is socially hard. If you believe a caller is driving, ask if he or she is driving. If so, ask them to call back when they have stopped safely. You might antagonize suppliers or friends, but...

Please feel free to pass this entry on to your cell phone provide or insurance company.

Empathy already exists in the law

There is a big hew and cry from the right about President Obama seeking a Supreme Court Justice who has empathy. Whether empathy has any place in the law has been debated for generations. See "Empathy and the Law", Stanley Fish, New York Times, 2009-05-24.

Empathy has existed in the law for generations. How many judges have let people off with a warning rather than impose the maximum sentence? How many juries have failed to convict because they felt a defendant didn't get a fair hearing, even when the presented facts implied otherwise?

I remember hearing about a traffic judge in the Twin Cities who would let a traffic offender go if the excuse made him laugh.

How many police officers don't follow through with an arrest or a ticket because they felt there were extenuating circumstances? I remember the time I went the wrong way on a one-way street. I realized my mistake and was ready to turn around when a patrol car came down the street. The short story is that the officer said, "Why don't you turn around?"

If any of those who think empathy has no place in the law ever are caught evading taxes or driving drunk, may the judge impose the maximum allowable sentence on them.