Has your life been affected by a drunk driver? What do you think can be done to keep impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel? I have always been disappointed and shocked somehow, by the cavalier attitude many people have when it comes to driving. In other countries most people take the ability to drive as a privilege and something to gain upon becoming an adult. Here it is regarded as a 'right' and the next step to having toys as a child. Everyone expects to own a car and drive as soon as they are eligible - and unfortunately sometimes even before that time. The fact that driving a car is regarded as no more skillful than riding a bicycle nor more dangerous leads to a disregard for the law (i.e., unlicensed and uninsured drivers), reckless driving and high levels of drink and driving. It also leads to a lack of responsibility to other road users. This is particularly so amongst teenage drivers. Put this scenario together with DUI offenses having low levels of punishment (often merely fines) and it is no wonder drunk driving is so prevalent. People must be educated to recognize that driving is a huge responsibility requiring skill and judgment. It also carries a responsibility for the safety of other passengers and other drivers. This education should take the form of frequent public announcements showing the consequences of poor, bad, reckless, and/or drunken driving, together with a campaign detailing the levels of punishment for flouting the law (these levels should be much higher than they are now). People who get behind the wheel of a car (especially drunk drivers) must be made to realize that their actions will have a consequence.Oh, I have a friend Amanda from Moorpark, California; who lost 3 old family friends this last Tuesday night by a drunk driver. The driver, her 21 year old brother, his condition, paralyzed and was in a coma until this morning, with multiple broken ribs, and fractures. The accident took the lives of 3, lost a 22, a 24 and a 26 year old friend. If You are a parent; give Your child the chance, to call home for a ride. Make it an option they can use. Better safe then to do the wrong thing; to drive under the influence of alcohol. My cousin Errol in 1976 age 25 was walking in Carmel with his new bride, walking hand in hand, a drunken driver age 20 came down the winding hill, hitting my cousin throwing him 500 feet and landing dead upon impact. I cry everytime I think of my cousin Errol. I BEG You, to please DO NOT DRINK & DRIVE, EVER!!! upset and confused, respectfully; David Harrison Levi ..

written for my friends and family and published on America Online .............David Harrison Levi ..