EDITORIAL DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE

AS TWO Chronicle frontpage stories reminded us yesterday, the combination
of drinking and driving can be lethal.

Our hearts go out to the thousands of families who lose loved ones every
year because some idiots think they can drive while drunk.

While traffic fatalities involving drunken drivers have decreased in recent
years, the numbers are still horrific. In 1996, 17,126 people were killed
nationwide in alcoholrelated traffic accidents. And the figure could have
been much higher. Nearly 1.5 million drivers were arrested for driving
under the influence. Drinking and driving explained some 41 percent of
nationwide traffic fatalities.

In California, 1,254 people died in alcoholrelated traffic crashes in 1996.

``Designated driver'' may be a nonnegotiable fact of life for thousands of
motorists, and growing numbers of the population seem to accept as a given
that drinking and driving don't mix. However, far too many people still
overindulge and then get behind the wheel.

Education about the tragic results of drinking and driving must continue,
and sobriety checkpoints are a big help. But we all must work to get across
a message of zero tolerance for drunken drivers.