Booze in the Belly, Kids in the Car

Although never stated, it’s certainly been implied: The biggest drunk-driving threat to children 14 and under is surely the guy in the other car, taking aim at the broods of sober mothers and fathers. Well, that’s not so, according to statistics gathered by the Journal of the American Medical Assn. and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The most recent data show that 60% of the time, children killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents were in the vehicle of an intoxicated adult. Also, the more intoxicated the driver, the less likely it was that child passengers had been buckled in.

With virtually every other drunk-driving statistic on the decline, including overall alcohol-related accidents and fatalities, adults who drink and then transport youngsters may be the last bastion of reckless disregard or ignorance.

The solutions are well known, starting with sobriety checkpoints. Add laws like those in California that allow police to stop drivers solely for not wearing seat belts and promptly suspend the license of anyone caught driving while intoxicated. This could be extended to permit longer suspensions for adults who had child passengers at the time of the infraction. And if we have nationwide zero-tolerance laws on drinking among drivers younger than 21, why not consider zero tolerance for those who tipple and then drive with children?

Reckless endangerment is also a crime that could be brought to bear against adults who while drunk failed to ensure that the children in their vehicles were strapped in.

A slight shift in public education campaigns is in order as well. Consider this shame-laced arrow from friends, relatives and peers: “You’ve got your children with you and you’re having a drink?”

It’s been estimated that the total cost of alcohol-related accidents in this country runs into the tens of billions of dollars. The message? It’s time to stop the parents, guardians and other adults who drink and then drive with children as their passengers.