Bill Clinton: “Good morning. I know all Americans share my deep pride and joy in the safety of Captain Scott O'Grady. We're proud of…”

“Good morning. I know all Americans share my deep pride and joy in the safety of Captain Scott O'Grady. We're proud of his courage and his tenacity. And we are very grateful to our armed forces for his swift and brilliant rescue. I'm glad we have him back safe and secure. Today I want to talk about a very real threat to the safety and security of young Americans here at home: drunk driving. Drunk driving, especially by young people, is one of the most serious and one of the most avoidable threats to public health in America. I'm joined in the White House by members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Students Against Drunk Driving, AAA, and the National Safety Council. In no small measure because of the determined work of private organizations like these, we have taken some very important steps over the last decade to reduce drunk driving. Most of us who were Governors of our States during that period strengthened our own laws against drunk driving. In 1984, President Reagan signed a bill giving States a strong incentive to raise their drinking age to 21. Today, that is the law of the land in every State. As a result, teenagers can no longer drive to neighboring States with lower drinking ages. This happened all the time before we had a uniform drinking age, and all too often with tragic consequences. The crime bill I signed into law last year puts tough new penalties on the books for people who drive drunk with children in their cars.…”