Maybe it’s because it happened in a small town in our county. Maybe it’s because it involved the tragic death of a young Marine wife and her eight month old unborn child. Or maybe it’s because the accused drunk driver who rear-ended her car and killed both of them took off, parked his damaged vehicle and got a ride from a Lyft driver to a bar, where he was arrested.
The terrible and shocking details of this one DUI related fatal crash has received a lot of attention. And it should.
If you pay attention to the news, and some don’t because it can be hard to take sometimes, you know that DUI crashes happen all the time.
Even though, local law enforcement runs DUI checkpoints almost every weekend. The CHP has extra patrols every holiday trying to spot DUI drivers. And Mothers Against Drunk Driving remains MADD and active in the fight against it.
And now the legalization of marijuana for recreational use is coming in January thanks to voters here in California. Talking to some people at an event over the weekend, some asked me how they’re going to stop marijuana users from driving when they’re high? Is there a breathalyzer test that will be able to determine they are under the influence of pot?
Those are questions that many are asking. And the law enforcement officers who enforce the laws now have to worry they can find marijuana users before they cause the same kind of crashes the drunken drivers do.
Harsher sentences and ignition starting technology are always talked about. But ultimately stopping the drunk or high driver from driving requires enough help and even pressure from friends and families to change behavior and prevent the sometimes life-changing decisions that are made.
(Photo Getty Images)