Let's Get Those Drunk Drivers Off the Road - Before They Drive

©2013 by LeeZard

I don’t know what it’s been like in other places around the country but the Seattle-area has been rocked recently by a spate of horrific fatal crashes involving drunk drivers. And, you’ll excuse me if I don’t call them “accidents;” driving drunk is no accident, nor are the resulting deaths. Sadly, many of the drunk drivers involved in these crashes are repeat offenders, which leads to my next point.

The continual stiffening of drunk driving laws isn’t doing the job, especially with all the lawyers advertising their DUI services. Let’s find these potential drunk drivers before they drive and get them safely home without killing themselves or others. I have an idea.

Not only is it in the public interest to keep drunk drivers off the road; it is also in the interest of the bars and restaurants that serve them. Their owners are liable for any damage their customers do once they leave the establishment. My idea is to involve the staff of the restaurants and bars to help identify those who are too impaired to drive. The trick then is to get them home safely.

We’d start a pilot program in a high-risk area. There are plenty around the Seattle-area. In the city we have Belltown and Pioneer Square. In the ‘burbs there is downtown Kirkland.

I used to live in downtown Kirkland and it is quite a scene on weekends. Someone told me there are nearly 30 establishments within a four-block area serving booze until 2AM. On weekends the Kirkland Police Department contracts with the State Patrol and other jurisdictions for extra patrol units along NE 85th Street, the main drag between I-405 and downtown. This would be a great place in which to test my plan.

Kirkland also has Lee Johnson, an auto dealership with deep ties to the community. This is very important because we would ask the dealership to donate a couple of passenger vans to ferry the poor sots home.

It would work like this. Servers and bartenders, trained to identify and deal with potential drunk drivers, would ask them to voluntarily give up their car keys in exchange for a free ride home. The two vans, with volunteer drivers, rubberized floors and a supply of barf bags would be strategically placed, waiting for their “customers.”

Local police would then either move the “abandoned” vehicles to some pre-arranged holding area or, as an alternative, mark them where they sit so they won’t be ticketed or towed. The sober and hungover drivers would retrieve their rides the next morning. Everybody wins!

I know this idea has merit. When I lived in Kirkland I contacted the Washington State Highway Safety Commission and they offered me a couple of thousand dollars in grant money for a pilot program. Unfortunately, I moved away from Kirkland before we could get started. Frankly, this will take a lot of time and effort to get organized.

But, the idea has always remained in the back of my brain. All it will take is a group of dedicated citizens, elected official and law enforcement to get it started. Any volunteers?