An arrest with special message on DUI
The recent arrest of Grayslake Police Chief Matthew McCutcheon on drunken driving-related charges underscores a disturbing notion.
Not just that a top cop would be charged with breaking one of the community’s most important laws he’s supposed to enforce, although that’s certainly bad enough.
What’s worse is that after all of the focus on DUI stories covered by the Daily Herald and other media, in messages hammered home by groups like the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists, in careers ruined by DUI arrests and in families shattered by DUI deaths, people still drive drunk.
With prom and graduation season upon us, the dangers of underage drinking and driving should be of paramount concern to teens and parents.
Sadly, this is an equal opportunity problem, not limited to any demographic, and we must find a way to stop it.
The number of motorists arrested on charges of DUI annually is staggering. An AAIM annual survey of arrests by local police departments in 2010, the most recent available, shows the leaders included Naperville with 671, Elgin with 410, and Waukegan with 390.
It’s safe to say someone somewhere will get behind the wheel tonight and believe he or she can drive safely after drinking alcohol.
Look, driving in our communities is no picnic under the best of conditions.
When you consider the number of vehicles on the road, construction and other hazards, driving is an activity that requires complete focus.
Factor in the slowed reaction time and impaired judgment caused by a couple of stiff drinks and the truth is you’re not a safe driver.
In McCutcheon’s case, authorities say he was arrested after three vodka martinis during dinner left him unable to complete a turn and his Honda collided with another car near Silver Lake, Wis.
His case will be sorted out in the courts, but the 46-year-old Fox Lake resident who has been on paid leave since his March 30 arrest has submitted his resignation from the job he was promoted to just a couple of months ago.
He was fortunate no one was hurt, including his wife who was riding in the car with him.
We all know that’s not always the case.
In 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said more than 10,000 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes nationally — one every 51 minutes.
This problem won’t go away until all motorists take responsibility for their actions. It’s really pretty simple: If you drink, call a cab, walk, appoint a designated driver, call a friend.
Don’t drive.
Unfortunately, it’s a message that still warrants repeating.