DRINKING, DRIVING SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE

Making an 0.08% blood alcohol level the drunken driving threshold would not
"criminalize responsible social drinking," as the Wisconsin Tavern League
would have us believe in a Jan. 19 Journal Sentinel article.

When a 170-pound man has five beers in two hours, that's not being
responsible, it's being impaired at 0.08%, according to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration cited in the article.

Senate Bill 75, which would create the 0.08% standard, will send a clear
message to everyone that drinking and driving is not socially acceptable.

In addition, we must do more to promote transportation alternatives by
encouraging the use of designated drivers, taxi service, etc.

Finally, improved education and rehabilitation programs should be made more
available to help reduce the number of impaired drivers.

Unfortunately, our state is one where alcohol abuse occurs regularly. A
Princeton study found Wisconsin ranked first in the nation for binge
drinking among the general population.

So it's not surprising that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
identifies Wisconsin as the state with the third-highest number of
alcohol-impaired driving episodes. In fact, 44% of all 1996 traffic deaths
in our state were alcohol-related.

Wisconsin physicians don't want to tell another family member that a loved
one has died because a "social" drinker had too many.

Sandra L. Osborn
President
State Medical Society of Wisconsin
Madison