
        Just watched KELO-TV news and saw Senator Tom Daschle riding
        in a police car and expressing concern about alchohol
        use\abuse problems.
        
        About 20 years ago I was the PI&E officer and Asst. Dir. of
        the SD Alcohol Safety Action Program (SDASAP).  Based on my 
        experience then and what I have seen since then, I am about
        convinced that the kind of law enforcement necessary to really
        significantly impact the problem--particulary drunken or 
        impaired driving--would not be tolerated for long by the
        responsible non-drinking drivers.
        
        It is time more of the social costs resulting from really
        unnecessary social or economic conditions or businesses ought
        to be carried by the groups or institutions that cause or
        benefit from these conditions.  I have thought that this
        approach to more social and political problems ought to appeal
        to both liberals and conservatives in that such attempts 
        ought to minimize oppressiveness of government intervention
        and cost to innocent taxpayers.
        
        In the case of drunken driving the incentive ought to be 
        to keep bars from selling alchohol until their customers
        were too intoxicated to drive safely.  I think the best way
        to do this is for states to shut down every business that
        sells alcholic beverages for one day for every alchohol-related
        traffic fatality.  Example: if a fatality occurs on a Friday
        night, one week later all sellers of alcohol would be closed
        and required to post a notice on their door like:
           "We are  closed today and tonight because an
            alcohol-related traffic fatality occured one
            week ago;  if you want our business to be
            available to you, please do not ask us to serve
            you alcohol until you are unable to drive safely."
        This approach shifts the costs to the industry benefiting
        from alchohol sales without resort to road blocks and other
        expensive highway enforcement programs. Having a one or
        two-week delay also puts the enforcement action at a time
        most likely to provide impact.
        
        It is unfair to ask responsible drivers who do not drink and
        drive to subsidize the liquor industry by paying 20 to 40 per
        cent more for their vehicle insurance than would probably be
        required if drunken driving really is significantly reduced.
        It would also be appropriate to require reductions in auto
        insurance premiums when alcohol-control measures reduce fatalities.
        
        The Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and other groups believe
        long tough prison terms and similar punishment (or revenge) will
        control drunken driving.  I have seen too much evidence indicating
        that alchohol impairs intellectual ability, discretion, and
        will to the point that it is unrealistic to expect the drinker
        him or herself to recognize that it is unsafe and socially
        unacceptable (or immoral if that is your perspective) to 
        continue drinking with the intention of later driving.  The
        potential of tough penalties, etc. become irrelevant or 
        ineffective deterrents just at the time their desired
        effect is most needed.
        
        An indicative example of this is test driving on courses before
        and after alchohol consumption.  Generally, if there is not
        a law officer present to stop them, most alchohol-impaired
        test subjects will attempt to drive home immediately after
        they have just been shown themselves on video tape or film
        knocking down pylons and driving off course.

        It is probably also the case that a well-trained motivated
        traffic enforcement officer could arrest enough drunk or
        impaired drivers in one or two nights to keep him off the
        highway and in court for a month.
        
        I hope you can urge state and federal politicians to
        more seriously  consider approaches to social and economic
        problems which  will actually work without being prohibitively
        expensive,intrusive, burdensome, or oppressive to innocent taxpayers.

        Douglas A Wiken
        HC 89 Box 1
        Winner SD 57580-8001
        