Most of the time I walk to the bars and so do many of my friends. If I’m meeting up with friends in another neighborhood and it’s a bit far to walk, I will take my bicycle. Sure, riding a bicycle inebriated is still technically a DUI, but it’s not nearly as dangerous as trying to control a 2-ton hunk of metal.

When driving equals freedom, when bars/events are surrounded by huge parking lots, when some zoning laws actually require parking for bars and separate residential from retail uses, well our laws and culture actually encourage people to drive. Until that is understood we’ll never solve the problem.

I want to see the courts and law enforcement get serious about willful, dangerous driving habits. People need to start losing their licenses for recklessness on the streets – for driving 45 mph on a 25 mph side street with kids and families everywhere. For gunning it on a yellow light, nearly taking out a pedestrian crossing legally in the crosswalk. I see this kind of homocidal behavior every single day.

I myself was once a 19 year old wannabe hot shot that thought he was the center of the universe, especially while behind the wheel of the car. It’s only by the grace of God that I never harmed anyone on the roads or myself. But if I had known that cops would have pulled me over for bad driving behavior, and that there was a legitmate threat of losing my ability to drive over it, then I might have behaved myself better. But the justice system sees driving as unassailable right, and the revocation of drivers licenses as cruel and unusual punishment tantamount to the death penalty. So motorists pretty much have carte blanche to put themselves and other people in danger.

People are imperfect, and we’ll never eliminate all traffic accidents. But there’s a difference between screwing up and wielding a deadly weapon in an irresponible manner.

And the real kicker – no taxis.