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发表于 2011-2-24 09:10:43
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VOX POPULI: Don't let drinkers drive or make drivers drink
No matter how trivial, turning a blind eye to wrongdoing is detrimental to mental health. Sometimes, we are seized with remorse thinking we should have raised objections and despise ourselves for being so weak. When worst comes to worst, looking the other way causes irreparable damage.
In the case of a car accident that occurred three years ago in Saitama Prefecture, two men that rode along in a car driven by a drunken driver were handed two-year prison terms on Monday for encouraging dangerous driving. The driver, 35, who suggested that they go for a ride, is already serving a 16-year prison term.
The car, speeding at more than 100 kph, hit two oncoming cars and killed a married couple. The men convicted Monday, both in their 40s, had been drinking with the driver for nearly five hours during the day. And they were the driver's superiors at work. Citizen judges trying the case concluded that they could have easily stopped the driver, and not stopping him was tantamount to complicity in the fatal accident.
Unlike inattentiveness or falling asleep at the wheel, drunken driving can be prevented through simple willpower. That is why it is all the more sinful. It is a matter of course for the bereaved family to see the case as a heinous traffic crime and demand strict punishment. Getting behind the wheel after drinking, or encouraging someone else to do so runs a ridiculous risk. It not only puts the driver's life in danger, but also the lives and livelihoods of those sharing the ride, families, or most of all total strangers.
Unfortunately, humans are weak. A police officer in Shizuoka who caused a hit-and-run accident while his teenage son was in the car has been arrested after asking his wife to take the blame for the crash. The wife told the police the truth, and when the husband was summoned he was found to be under the influence of alcohol. As a worker, husband and father, he must have wanted someone to hit him.
"If you drink, don't drive. If you drive, don't drink," is a well-known traffic slogan that warns against drunken driving. I wish to add the following extra words even though they may make the slogan a mouthful: "Don't let a drinker drive. Don't make a driver drink." We need strong determination to prevent drunken driving tragedies, even if that means smacking someone. If the driver won't listen, imagine iron bars starting to surround the car. There's no choice but to get out quick and call the police.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 16 |
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