In a halfhearted attempt to reduce the risk of drunken driving, Sen. Neal Kedzie, R-Elkhorn, has wasted taxpayers’ time proposing an uninspired set of bills, which is neither creative nor preventive, when his time would have been better spent critically looking into successful methods to eradicate drunken driving while reexamining the current system. Kedzie is quoted as saying, “We need more creative ways to combat [drunken driving],” in support of legislation that propose the legal limit while driving be lowered from .08 to .02 for repeat offenders.

Ironically, the Senator’s “creative” plan to stop previously fined drunk drivers from repeating their offense is to fine them again. As discouraging as a hefty fine or jail sentence is, this ineffective legislation only addresses the foolishness of drunken driving after it has been committed, yet does nothing to combat the real issue: There are relatively few transportation options for intoxicated adults in Wisconsin.

The senator’s proposal is just another example of misleading legislation that will collect revenue for the state but will not keep drunken drivers off the road. Irrefutably, drunken driving is not an offense that should go unpunished, but it is asinine to assume a slew of threats is going to keep 42,000 drunken drivers off the Wisconsin interstate. As specified, this law is intended for repeat offenders, which is a crystal-clear indication drunken drivers have yet to learn their lesson. If the thought of killing an innocent person on the road is not enough to stop someone who is intoxicated from getting behind the wheel, one must seriously question if a new piece of legislation is going to do the trick. There is a call for creative ways to combat drunken driving — unfortunately, Kedzie has missed the point.

As reprehensible as drunken driving is, the system is set up for people to fail. The senator’s time would be better spent researching causes and preventions of drunken driving and resourceful transportation options for citizens. Late-night bar hours, busses that stop running early, soaring taxi rates and overnight parking fees all contribute to a system that encourages drunken driving, yet provides abstract and shaming punishments for those who partake in it. Yes, drunken drivers are accountable for their actions, and ultimately it is their responsibility to make the right decision, but an unfortunate truth is they often do not. It is no easy feat to convince inebriated adults, when their cars are parked in the parking lot, to get on a bus. But it would be easier to convince them to hand over their keys when there is an available taxi waiting outside, when there is a late bus in operation, or when they are guaranteed their car will be in the parking lot when they return in the morning.

It is time our representatives start doing their jobs and put some serious thought into alternate forms of transportation for inebriated adults. As “effective” as the occasional Budweiser ad encouraging adults to designate a driver may be, audiences are obviously not listening. Legislation needs to be passed immediately to increase the hours of bussing in larger cities. Affordable and efficient, bussing is not a privilege, but rather a service that should be provided at all hours of the night. Legislation should also be put in place to encourage — with incentives — bars and nightclubs to cooperate with taxi companies. Rather than wait 50 outrageous minutes for an overpriced cab ride, taxis ought to be waiting outside of bars and nightclubs, ready to transport would-be drunken drivers. Smaller towns that have one or two main bars would be smart to look into shuttles that pick up and drop off throughout the night. Using the same funds that would have locked up potential drunk drivers, there is room in the budget to prevent drunken driving.

It is only after legislation has been put in place, to ensure the prevention of drunken driving, that offenders should be held accountable to increasing harsh penalties. If alternative transportation options are available to citizens and are coming directly from taxpayer’s wallets, there is no reason for anyone who is drunk to get behind the wheel of a car. If a free-thinking adult makes the decision to drive drunk, their decision warrants adult consequences. For potentially endangering the lives of many, Kedzie should throw the book at repeat offenders; instead of getting off with a petty fine, they should be sitting behind the bars of a jail cell.

As it stands, the current system shames drunken drivers but leaves them with few alternatives in terms of getting safely home. The prevention of drunken driving will be no easy task. But, luckily, that is why we have legislation, to create a system that encourages the individual to succeed, to create effective options for its citizens, not to leave them option-less and resort to coercive force when they screw up. So, unless Sen. Neal Kedzie is under the false assumption that heavy fines and jail time is a feasible solution to this unsettled problem, I encourage him to drop the legislation, rethink his “creative solution” and come up with a pragmatic plan to keep the roads free of drunken drivers.

Emily Osborne ([email protected]) is a freshman intending to major in journalism.