UNDERAGE DRINKERS WHO DRIVE A CAR GET ZERO TOLERANCE

One of the first things a good driver-education program will teach is that driving isn't a right but a privilege.

Many drivers, though, take the privilege for granted. They break traffic laws, are ticketed and fined. But they too often have little fear of losing their driving privileges. Many drivers also take it for granted that they can mix alcohol and driving without repercussions.

But motorists have hazards enough to worry about without adding to their problems with the foolish, and sometimes fatal, combination of drinking and driving. This is particularly true of beginning drivers.

During a recent year, drivers under 21 represented only 8 percent of all motorists, yet they were involved in 21 percent of all vehicle accidents. During 1994, the Illinois secretary of state's office reported 45,547 drunken driving arrests, with 21 percent of those being motorists between the ages of 21 and 24.

Obviously a large number of beginning drivers early on are developing dangerous patterns. But most states treat drinking and driving by minors no differently than if it is done by those of legal drinking age.

Illinois Secretary of State George Ryan decided to change that in his state by proposing a "Use It & Lose It" bill. The Illinois General Assembly overwhelmingly voted the bill into law. The law automatically suspends the driving privileges of everyone under the legal drinking age of 21 who is caught driving with any amount of alcohol in their system.

The law, which took effect Jan. 1, seems to be working. At midyear a total of 2,595 drinking-and-driving violations were recorded against minor drivers, compared to 984 during the first six months of 1994.

The fact is, some young people drink and drive. The trick is to catch them at it and then make certain the punishment is severe enough to deter others from taking the same risk.

The Illinois law fits the bill. It carries an automatic three-month suspension of driving privileges on a first offense and a one-year suspension on a repeat offense. The penalties double for offenders who refuse a sobriety test.

Illinois is one of 16 states that have the zero-tolerance law affecting underage drinkers who drive. More states, Missouri included, ought to follow suit and either pass new laws or give their existing laws more teeth. The message to young drivers must be clear: If you drink and drive, be prepared to lose your driving privileges. Zero tolerance. Zero exceptions.