New York Times - Nov. 18, 2009

The headlining story for the Times today is about how New York will become the second U.S. state that will make it a felony if a person is arrested for drunk driving with a child in the car. The recent surge in deaths of children are causing state officials to crack down and the state government to pay strict attention to the subject. I personally think that this shouldn't be a felony in two states, I think it should be a felony in EVERY state. How stupid does a person have to be to get into a car after having several drinks with children? I realize that alcohol impares ones judgement, but you'd think that if a person knew they were going into a situation where alcohol might be involved, that this said person wouldn't bring children along for the ride, or at least have anything to drink if the person was aware they had to transport shildren in the immediate future. It doesn't make any sense to me as to why this isn't a punishable felony in all states, because it certainly should be. If it were, then it would most definitely reduce the number of people who go out and do this kind of thing, and in turn would reduce the number of child deaths resulting from this recurring problem.

The story also talked about this new installment in cars that would be a lot like a personal breathalizer test, and if the driver of the car failed, the engine would not start. This makes sense to me, and will surely prevent many deaths in the United States. It's sad, though, that we have to rely on our own cars now to tell us when it is or is not safe for us to drive. Our judgement is that poor. Oh well, if it's going to save lives, I'm not complaining. As a race we need something that will make sure we're safe if we're not the ones best suited to make that decision.