Drinkers With Lethal Weapons : Alcohol-Related Accidents Are Down, but More Can Be Done

New laws and society’s tougher attitudes about drunk driving have helped lead to a decrease in Orange County accidents in which alcohol is a factor.

That welcome development also has been aided by increased enforcement of laws against driving under the influence. Arrests for DUI violations have gone up.

But the problem of convicted drunk drivers who emerge from jail only to drink and drive again remains. We have to keep looking for ways to keep these impaired drivers off the road.

In Santa Ana earlier this month, two youngsters were killed as the result of a collision between the car they were in and one driven by Fernando Quezada Perez, whose driver’s license had been suspended and who had three earlier drunk driving convictions. Police said this time Quezada’s blood-alcohol level was .20, more than twice the legal limit of .08.

Last month, Steven Edward Schumacher allegedly ran a red light in Fountain Valley and slammed into a car, killing a passenger. Schumacher, also driving with a suspended license, was charged with drunk driving.

Both Schumacher and Quezada have also been charged with second-degree murder, a relatively rare charge in a drunk-driving case. They must be presumed innocent by law, but it is worth noting that Schumacher had been expelled at least four times in recent years from court-ordered programs designed to stop him from driving under the influence, according to police. Quezada, too, had been in a counseling program. Both had served some jail time because of previous drunk-driving convictions.

Without commenting on specific cases, Orange County Municipal Judge Pamela L. Iles said she has seen enough repeat offenders to make her wonder if some drunk drivers will ever wise up.

This month Iles testified in Sacramento that tougher penalties are needed for those who keep violating the law. She is right.

Also welcome would be tougher enforcement by the county district attorney’s office of a year-old state law allowing authorities to seize the cars of those twice caught driving with a suspended or revoked license. Drunk-driving convictions result in license suspensions as well as fines and possible jail terms. But many drive without a license even after their convictions; taking their cars away would remove lethal weapons from the streets.