Recently, the death of an MSU student has ushered the drinking and driving issue back into the forefront.
It’s not like MSU and other institutions don’t offer programs to demonstrate the dangers of drunken driving, and the horrible accidents around us also teach ignored lessons, including the death that occurred last weekend at Highland Plantations.
Sometimes it seems as if nobody learns. Mindsets remain the same after the shock subsides.
Perhaps there are other actions that may help these apathetic attitudes. MSU has been pushing the shuttle system as an alternative way of traveling. The shuttles even reach far into the city.
But maybe we need something more. Maybe we need a taxi service in Starkville; our present taxi options are extremely limited.
Although taxi services are privately owned, Starkville should start looking for a system to help transport drunken people to prevent more accidents from happening.
Highland Plantations especially could benefit from a taxi system. The streets have poor lighting and the roads remain poor and narrow.
Until a taxi system or something similar is implemented, we should not just talk silently about drunken driving and the accidents that may happen. We should discuss these things with more conviction, and this includes taking care of our friends.
If you have a friend who is drunk, make sure that he or she has a ride home or that the person is not in harm’s way. Encourage your friends to drink responsibly and to not put themselves in dangerous situations.
The last thing we should do is not change. And the city should not ignore this accident. Some ideas should be discussed to improve the chances of someone not getting hurt or killed.
Lastly, if you are underage, you should abide by the law. Underage drinking will happen. Despite consistent lessons from numerous accidents, underage people will not only continue to drink but will drive under the influence as well.
This is not to say that a person drinking legally cannot arrive at a similar and tragic fate. Moreover, nobody should be drinking and driving in Starkville. Nobody at all. There’s no excuse to put more lives at risk, especially knowing what happened over the weekend.
Instead of ignoring this drunken driving issue, let’s learn from this recent accident and start being more careful.
The Reflector editorial board is made up of opinion editor Jed Pressgrove, news editor Sara McAdory, assistant news editor Wade Patterson, sports editor Ross Dellenger, entertainment editor Tyler Stewart, managing editor Dustin Barnes and editor in chief Elizabeth Crisp.