Viewpoint by Marley Malenfant/se news editor

If you’re going to drink, don’t drive. It should be that simple. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always happen that way.

Pro athlete Donte Stallworth killed a man and only had to do 30 days in jail. It was reported he had a blood alcohol level of .126, way over the legal limit. Charles Barkley, pulled over after leaving a nightclub, had a blood alcohol level of .149.

Stallworth and Barkley are multimillionaires. What’s so hard about having a chauffeur take you around so you don’t have to put yourself and others in danger? If I had that much money, I wouldn’t be driving.

So why do people do it? Do people forget that driving is a privilege and not a right? Lack of public transportation could be the answer. I don’t know anybody that can afford a chauffeur, and not everybody can afford a taxi. But preventing drunken driving should be a simple task.

If you’re going to drink, have a designated driver. Why take the chance of a cop pulling you over for driving recklessly? You’re not going tell the cops to blame it on the alcohol. The punishments for drunken drivers are awfully weak. Police officers are doing their job making constant arrests. But once a case gets to the courtroom, judges and lawyers aren’t doing enough.

The crimes committed and the punishments don’t match. A license suspension and some community service aren’t going to change anything. Somebody can get hardcore time for distributing illegal substances, but those who get behind the wheel intoxicated and kill somebody are put back on the street.

Far too many repeat offenders get too many chances. Sex offenders have to be listed. Why not the same for DWI offenders?

If judges did their jobs in the courtroom, we might have fewer reported deaths and accidents. So the next time you’re about to have that drink, think before you get behind the wheel.