PRICE REMAINS TOO HIGH FOR DRINKING AND DRIVING

Missouri, Illinois and the nation are in the midst of a week aimed at educating people about the toll drunk and drugged drivers exact on America. Being impaired and behind the wheel of a car is dangerous enough at any time of year, but especially during winter months, when poor driving conditions compound the hazards. During this festive season, with its numerous parties and occasions for alcohol indulgence, it is appropriate to note the message of Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week. Ignoring the message could be fatal.

Statistics tell a mighty story in steering people away from drunk driving situations. In Missouri during 1990, one person was killed or injured in an alcohol-related crash every 59 minutes. The statewide death toll for that year was 256, all killed because drinking and driving were mistaken for compatible activities.

The numbers are equally gloomy across the river in Illinois. Of the 1,589 people killed in vehicle accidents in 1990, 563 about 35 percent died in crashes where alcohol was a factor. And although 16- to 24-year-olds make up only 16 percent of the licensed drivers in Illinois, they are involved in 35 percent of all fatal alcohol-related crashes. Nearly 38 percent of teen drivers killed in auto accidents were drinking prior to their crashes.

National statistics are just as grim. Two of every five Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related traffic crash in their lifetime. From 1982 through 1990, 212,000 people lost their lives in accidents where alcohol was a factor.

In short, the statistics are staggering and the magnitude of the problem is enormous.

And while the numbers are compelling, the human toll is devastating. Larry Mahoney's story is sobering. Drunk and driving on a Kentucky highway near Carrollton, Ky., in 1988, Mahoney's truck was traveling the wrong direction on an interstate highway when it slammed into a school bus. Two years ago this month, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of 27 counts of manslaughter. In claiming 27 lives (all but three of them children), Mahoney also destroyed his own. He will one day be released from incarceration; he will never stop being haunted by his mistake.

The price is high for drinking and driving. Lawmakers, judges and police agencies have taken steps in recent years to expand the penalties for this crime, but enforcement after the fact can only go so far in curtailing the problem. At some point, personal responsibility must come into play. How we govern ourselves and those around us will go a long way toward seeing roadway tragedies reduced. Hopefully, Drug and Drugged Driving Awareness Week, here and elsewhere, will have a positive impact.