CLOSE LOOPHOLE FOR UNDERAGE DRINKERS WHO DRIVE

Meanwhile, there is another state law that probably deserves some attention from state legislators. A new law that aims at zero tolerance for underage drinkers who get behind the wheel has a problem. Anyone under the legal drinking age of 21 who drives is subject to losing his driver's license, regardless of blood-level content.

However, the strict law that was signed by the governor last summer doesn't require underage drinkers to submit to a test to determine if there is alcohol in the driver's blood.

As a result, too many underage drinkers know that, by simply refusing to take the breath test administered by law enforcement officers at the scene, they can drive away without penalty.

If zero tolerance is to be property enforced, this loophole needs to be closed. Drivers who have been drinking don't endanger just themselves. They are a potential menace to innocent drivers on the roads and highways of Missouri.