Alcohol abusers who drive

The nation's 15year fight against drunken driving has borne fruit. Having been
made aware of the peril, punishment and stigma associated with drunken driving,
social drinkers have virtually removed themselves from the DWI statistics,
reducing the drunken driving problem to alcohol abusers who flout the law.

Government studies show that in 1996, the average blood alcohol concentration
connected to fatalities was an outrageous .18 percent, the same level of the
driver involved in the accident that killed Princess Diana. Even the president
of Mothers Against Drunk Driving believes the drunken driving problem "is down
to a hard core of alcoholics who do not respond to public appeals."

Yet, these "hardcore alcoholics" are being ignored by the media, Congress and
even MADD who have made an assault on social drinking their No. 1 priority.
Apparently, they believe the best way to get drunks off the road is to change
the law so that a 120pound woman would be arrested for driving after drinking
two sixounce glasses of wine over a twohour period.

The fight against drunken driving isn't over. Redefining the problem isn't going
to make it go away. It's time for all of us MADD, lawmakers and media to
go after the real drunken driving problem: alcohol abusers who drive.

Rick Berman, general counsel, American Beverage Institute, Washington, D.C.