Drinking and driving a dangerous prospect

Search "blood alcohol content" on The Record-Courier's Web site and open any of the results and you'll see why Nevada is so hard on drunken driving.

A half dozen cases in the last month have come to light where people had blood alcohol contents of twice the legal limit.

There's the case of the 57-year-old with a .216, who hit another car after crossing the center line on Highway 395 and Jake's Hill, severely injuring himself and another motorist. He's going to spend some of his golden years confined to a wheelchair in prison.

There's the woman who said she drank before her Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. She said two beers, but her blood alcohol content was .186 when she took out someone's fence in her boyfriend's pickup.

Then there's the woman who was found at a park with a .43 blood alcohol content. The judge just told her she was lucky she wasn't dead.

We tell these stories every day to remind regular folks of the dangers that drinking and driving pose, not just to the drinkers, but to anyone on the road. When someone drinks so much that they become a hazard to navigation, it is critical that someone else take charge.

So take a moment before you go out and think about these stories. If you're hosting a holiday party, then find a way to get your guests home safely. If you're going out, then remember to designate a driver.

Have a good time, but keep an eye out for your friends, yourself and the other guy.