Web Posted: 12/02/2008 12:00 CST

Drunk driving checkpoints can save lives

Freeman Sawyer of San Antonio is active in various conservative organization

By Freeman Sawyer - Special to the Express-News

My nephew was killed by a drunk driver on a Texas highway. My mother — his grandmother — was the obituary writer at the Express-News at the time. She wrote the obituary for her grandson and told me later it was the most agonizing obituary she had ever written.

This tragedy devastated our family. Four other innocent people were killed in this same wreck. One drunk driver changed the lives of five families in one split second that late December night.

In 2007, drunk drivers in Texas killed 1,292 people, more than any other state — including California, which outranks us in population by one-third. Texans, always known as hard-drinking, hard-playing people, continue to live up to their reputations. But most haven't the slightest idea of the price we are paying.

It's just like any other catastrophic event. If it doesn't happen to you, your family or someone very close to you, you don't really know the impact. However, if there was a way to decrease the fatalities due to drunk driving by approximately 20 percent or more, wouldn't everyone be willing to cooperate?

Recently, Gov. Rick Perry's office suggested to Public Safety Commission Chairman Allan Polunsky that he initiate sobriety checkpoints. Sobriety checkpoints are set up to discourage drunk drivers from getting on the road. Usually, more checkpoints are used during holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.

Prior to setting up sobriety checkpoints, their locations and times are publicized, and signs are posted approaching the checkpoints announcing their presence.

Fairness is guaranteed by using a consistent set of standards to check drivers. Of course, drivers who appear to be intoxicated are always checked.

The primary purpose of these checkpoints is not to arrest drivers, but instead to encourage those under the influence to abstain from driving. Forty other states use the checkpoint system. MADD continues its work to encourage all states to implement the checkpoint plan. Last year, the Texas Legislature failed to pass this into law again. Why?

It seems a few activists claim they are concerned the checkpoint plan would lead to racial profiling.

Fifteen members out of a total of 181 legislators brought enough pressure to block the implementation of this plan in order to protect the undocumented immigrants who enter our country.

These 15 legislators know this is a false charge. This plan has been established in the past to be fair. It stands on its past record.

These two groups of lawbreakers are not related and should not be linked in an effort to allow more drunk drivers to endanger the lives of ourselves and our loved ones.

The Legislature should re-establish drunk driver checkpoints to protect us all.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/let ... lives.html