Sen. Rudolph E. Boschwitz, R-Minn., put his finger on a distressing U.S. problem when he rose recently in the Senate to deplore driving under the influence of liquor – part of a broader problem of mounting traffic fatalities. A good friend of his had been injured seriously in an accident in northern Wisconsin. The driver of the other car had been drinking. This was the latest of several such accidents in which friends of the freshman Minnesota senator had been killed or injured in alcohol-related accidents, ”1 wanted to look into the subject to see whether adequate penalties are now imposed for driving under the influence and whether there is something we can do in the Senate, or I as a senator can do to bring this really terrible reflection on our nation under control,” Boschwitz said. With traffic deaths rising, the senator’s remarks were timely, Putting focus on drinking drivers gets at a bg part of the problem but the entire scope of traffic accidents and deaths should be included in any nation-wide examination. Fatalities numbered 50,745 in 1979 in the United States – and approximately 50 percent of the deaths were in alcohol-related ac-cidents. (Figures from the ( National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.) The extent and impact of this national disgrace becomes clear when you consider that the annual traffic toll far exceeds the combined American deaths in five of our early wars. These figures, from Chaplaincy letter of May. 1979. were compiled by the Veterans Administration information Service; American Revolution (1775-841. 4.000 deaths in service; War of 1812 (181218151. 2,000: Mexican War (1846-481. 13,000; Indian Wars (approximately 181798i, 1.000; and Spanish American War (18901902), 11.000. Traffic fatalities and the accidents which cause them amount to a tragic waste of human life and a sickening economic loss. Extend the problem to nonfatal accidents. plus their injuries and annual cost, and you get a staggering situation. When alcohol is a factor. the regretful implications are multiplied. Senator Boschwitz detailed three cases in which five of his friends were killed in accidents, offending drivers being “under the influence” in each situation. – A young woman violin teacher of many children, including the senator’s son. was hit and killed by a drunken driver while on the way to work. — An employee of the senator’s company and his wife were returning from dining out one evening when they were struc from behind and killed by a driver ”so inebriated that there was a total lack of control over the vehicle.” The couple left eight children aged 6 months to 17 years. “Nothing could have been more touching than seeing those children go through the church behind the caskets of their ;parents Boschwitz said. – Not long afterward, similar tragedy struck another of the companys employees. The man and his wife, parents of nine children, were on their way home together with some of the youngsters when hit by a motorist under the influence of alcohol.” Both parents were killed. Although each of us suffers anguish when friends and relatives are killed, we as a nation seemingly accept in partial acquiescence the annual highway slaughter. True. there are spasmodic safety campaigns – but have we had one recently on a state or national basis in which maximum effort has been applied? If enough people and organizations were involved, the accident fatality trend could be turned around. Look what happened in the seventies, largely from changing of a law. 1.n 1973 there were 55,511 highway deths in America. Spurred by the energy crunch, the speed limit was cut to 55 mph. in 1974 – and that year fatalities dropped to 48,200, starting a lower trend in deaths. The toll has been inching upward since, as we’ve grown less diligent in support of the law, Even so. fatalities in 1979 were 4.766 below the 1973 figure. Senator Boschwitz declared in his Senate remarks that ”someil-ning has to be done,” 1-le is aware, of course, of positive steps for traffic safety, including tougher fines. safety council efforts for public education. sophisticated techniques by the enforcement arm, and improved highway engineering. About half of the states have adopted laws that permit judges to levy a substantial “tuition fee” above the drunken driving fine to pay for educational treatment during probation. Today, national consciousness needs to be reawakened; fresh ideas developed; more people moblized for safety. And we need to find out what solutions other countries (Sweden, for instance, as cited by Boschwitz) have found. The Minnesota senator said he plans to take a ”very active interest” in the problem. 1-le wondered if the Senate can do something. It can. The Senate. House. President, Governors other high officials as well as leadership at the grass roots ., need to make a concentrated national effort. We need to organize tiat type of campaign for highway safety. As the senator said. the situat on demands that “someth ng be done.”