Sin Chew Daily

Accidents due to drunk driving have been quite common these days. It is utterly necessary for the government to take stern actions to stop this from getting worse.

Transport minister Wee Ka Siong has said the Road Transport Act 1987 will be amended to toughen the penalties meted out to drunk drivers, with mandatory imprisonment for violators once the blood alcohol content has surpassed the legal limit. For drinkers, this should serve as a stern warning that they must not go behind the wheel after drinking.

In addition to heavier penalties, the government will also revise three existing alcohol test standards, i.e. lowering the blood alcohol content (BAC) from 0.08% to 0.05%, reducing the permissible alcohol in breath from 35mg to 22mg, and alcohol in urine from 107mg to 67mg. The stricter test standards speak volumes of the government's strong determination to stop the problem of drunk driving in the country.

Will such an effort pay off? It is believed that we will see positive results because mandatory imprisonment will warn off potential violators. After the law has been amended, it will no longer be possible for a drunk driver to escape jail by just paying his or her fines. As the minister has said, no additional evidence will be required once the alcohol level has exceeded the permissible limit, and the penalty is imprisonment.

While mandatory jail might help reduce the incidence of drunk driving, the government should also educate the public in order to more effectively tackle the issue.

To most drinkers, the consequences of drunk driving are grave, and it is not worth spending time in jail because of that, not to mention the possibility of causing harm to ourselves as well as other innocent road users.

Heavier penalties and stricter standards are not meant to deny the public's right of drinking, but to ensure the safety of all road users.

In the meantime, no one should attempt to link drinking to drunk driving, and exploit the situation to call for a complete ban on liquor sale. You can still drink but please don't drive after a drink.

It is not difficult at all to solve this problem in our technology- and business-savvy world today. A drinker can always make prior arrangements to get a friend to send him home after drinking, or hire a designated driver to do the job.

Prior to this, the transport ministry has proposed heavier penalties for drunk drivers, including a longer six to 20 years of jail sentence for causing the death of others while driving under the influence of alcohol, up from three to ten years now. With mandatory imprisonment now meted out to all drunk drivers, it proves that the government is indeed looking into this problem very seriously.

Drinkers must no longer treat drunk driving as a trivial matter and remain unrepentant, or they may have to pay a very hefty price for their obstinacy.

Refraining from going behind the wheel after drinking is not just to protect the safety of other road users but also our own. Now that the government has conveyed a very explicit message that drunk drivers will have to face stern actions, drinkers should come to the realization that they must never allow their momentary indulgences to inflict permanent damages on themselves and other innocent individuals.