IRVING, Texas - As a bereaved and injured victim of drunken driving, I joined the nation in mourning the recent attacks on America. I understand the shock to the system that violent, unprovoked trauma brings to the victims who endure it.

As Americans, we are grappling with the tragedy and a new war, and are trying to get our bearings in this uncertain time. Now more than ever, we feel the need to be proactive, to make a positive difference in our country and to regain a sense of normalcy.

Unfortunately, "business as usual" for some means turning our heads or even contributing to a war taking place every day on our nation's roadways: drunk driving.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), last year the nation experienced the largest percentage increase in alcohol-related traffic deaths on record. Traffic deaths involving alcohol increased by 677 in 2000, to a total of 16,653 people killed in alcohol-related crashes, accounting for 40 percent of all traffic deaths. After years of progress this reversal is alarming.

As our nation nears the busy holiday season when drinking and driving is on the rise, we hope that Americans will not forget the more than 16,000 people killed and hundreds of thousands injured every year due to drunken driving. This is a battle that can be won, as drunk driving - the nation's most frequently committed violent crime - is 100 percent preventable.

MADD needs America's help. We need Americans to pledge to drive safe and sober, we need stronger laws and enforcement, and we need further attention and financial support to help carry out youth programs, awareness efforts and victim services.

From a policy and enforcement standpoint, there are a number of initiatives that, if successfully implemented, will prevent and reduce the drunken driving deaths and injuries that occur every year on America's roadways. It is important for Americans to support lifesaving legislation such as lowering every state's illegal per se drunken driving limit to .08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and laws that address the higher risk drivers on our roadways who often drive at very high BAC levels and do so repeatedly.

Strategy 1: Address the Higher Risk Driver
Higher risk drivers, repeat offenders, drivers with very high BAC levels of .15 percent and above, and individuals who drive on suspended licenses are the most dangerous drivers on our roads.

Nearly one third of all drivers arrested or convicted of drunken driving are repeat offenders, and nationally 58 percent of the alcohol-related traffic fatalities in 2000 involved drivers with a BAC of .15 percent and above.

To address the higher risk driver problem, MADD recommends restrictions such as license suspension, vehicle impoundment/ immobilization, ignition interlock devices, fines, confinement, financial restitution to victims, mandatory alcohol assessment and treatment, intensive probation and attendance at victim impact panels.

Strategy 2: Support Lifesaving Legislation
Federal and state legislators play pivotal roles in reducing drunken driving, thereby saving lives and preventing injuries, through their support and enactment of critical legislation.

An example of key federal legislation is TEA-21, the massive multi-billion dollar highway funding bill that will be reauthorized in 2003. It is up to us to communicate to our legislators the public's desire to see highway safety measures remain a priority and that only with fair and substantial funding can our nation reverse the trend of more death and injury.

Also crucial are open container laws and administrative license revocation (ALR) laws that require prompt, mandatory revocation of driver's licenses for alcohol and/or other drug test failure and/or refusal. ALR laws allow police and driver licensing authorities to suspend or revoke a driver's license swiftly.

Strategy 3: Back The Blue
It is essential that Americans appreciate and applaud law enforcement officers and their efforts to consistently enforce impaired driving and underage drinking laws. Law enforcement officers are the first line of defense against the menace of drunken drivers and they often risk their own lives for the sake of our security.

One of the most effective law enforcement tools is the sobriety checkpoint programs. Well-publicized sobriety checkpoint programs serve two purposes: they allow law enforcement officers to identify impaired drivers and they also serve as a general deterrent to drinking and driving. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of sobriety checkpoints in 1990 and numerous opinion polls have consistently shown strong public support for sobriety checkpoints.

Strategy 4: Hold Courts Accountable
Far too often, drunken drivers who are arrested are not sentenced properly drunken driving is not seen for the violent crime that it is and offenders receive a slap on the hand by judges. Unfortunately, the courtroom is where many drunken drivers fall through the cracks in the system.

It is crucial that judges take the drunken driving problem seriously and that prosecutors refrain from plea-bargaining these cases. First time offenders should have sentences that are designed to stop them from re-offending and repeat offenders/high BAC drivers should be dealt with seriously and should be required to receive intensive alcohol treatment. MADD is working to implement court-monitoring programs that will result in more accountability in the courtroom and more effective sentencing.

Strategy 5: Admit the Buck Stops Here
Now is the time for America to accept the responsibility and claim the power that would prevent the war on drunken driving from ever being waged in the first place. MADD is working to end the violent and unprovoked trauma caused by drunken driving, but we need America's back-ing. We need America's help, heart and hands to end this terror on our roads , a terror that has just recently, and most unfortunately, taken a turn for the worse.