ECM Editorial Board

 Deaths of college students caused by alcohol overdose, plus results of the latest Minnesota Student survey point to the need to take stronger action against underage drinkers including suspending their driver’s licenses.

A Morrison County commissioner, Don Meyer, suggests that teenagers convicted of driving under the influence understand what it means to have a driver’s license suspended. He contends that what’s on the books isn’t stopping teenagers from drinking.  Parents pay the fines for drinking violations and some even encourage drinking at house parties they host.

Meyer’s suggestion comes a few days after a third student from a state college and university has died from binge drinking. Another life has ended prematurely and another family is devastated.

Those people without much feeling in their hearts may think that since such deaths are self inflicted, society has no obligation to do anything about them.  However, each society needs to take the necessary steps to convince young people that binge drinking and driving while intoxicated are not acceptable.

This can be done in a couple of different ways, namely preventative education and by threatening misbehavior with penalties. Most likely, most of the teenagers in Minnesota have been through a DARE program or some other educational program advising them of the danger of substance abuse. That suggests that more meaningful penalties are in order. A $500 fine may not be meaningful to many young people, particularly if their parents pay it, but for most teenage drivers few things are more important than driving privileges.

Currently, 33 states have included the loss of driving privileges for underage drinking violations, of which 24 states take away licenses even if no motor vehicle is involved in the violation.  In Texas, a first offense for any underage drinking, regardless of whether a motor vehicle is involved, results in a 30-day suspension, a second offense in a 60-day suspension and a third offense in an automatic suspension of the license for 180 days plus possible jail time.  The penalties are double if a motor vehicle is involved

To do nothing, to accept the status quo that some young people will die from abuse ought to be unacceptable to anyone who feels an ounce of compassion for humanity.

Let us be clear.  We are not calling for a revival of prohibition.  

Consumption of alcohol by adults is legal and should remain so.  

What’s illegal is the drinking of alcohol under the age of 21 and driving under the influence at any age.

If we want our children to grow up healthy and safely, we need to encourage behavior by young people that will prevent alcohol abuse. One way to do that is to suspend their driver’s licenses when they do abuse.  We hope the legislators of this state are willing to act to enforce the their laws to encourage illegal drinking and driving by those under 21 years of age.

This editorial is an opinion of the ECM Editorial Board. (The Post Review is part of ECM Publishers Inc.

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