Adopt a 'Drive, don't drink; Drink, don't drive' Policy

Driving under the influence of alcohol has been identified as one of the major causes of road accidents. However, this is one violation that is difficult to implement in the Philippines. One reason is that the law requires to prove that certain level of alcohol in the blood has been reached by the driver. Secondly, the penalty is too light for the gravity of the offense, which include endangering the lives of others. 

It is high time for our lawmakers and policy makers to act and change this iniquitous law. Let us adopt a 'if you drink, don't drive - if you drive, don't drink' policy. Alcohol and driving don't mix. If they do mix, it's fatal. Any sign that a driver has taken alcohol should be enough to put him/her in jail to preclude any accident. And since the possible outcome of this violation is death, this offense should be criminalized as it is a wilful act, not just a mere traffic violation, and the offender must be meted at least 90 days of community service (to offset the social cost that may have suffered by the public) and a fine of P20,000, for the first offense. The penalty should be doubled if the violation is incurred again. The penalty should be stiff enough so that risk taking (not to obey the law) may not be resorted to anytime. But all of these are futile if the law enforcement agencies are not implementing the law consistently.