Byron Dorgan: “I have worked for some long while, not only supporting the efforts of Mothers Against Drunk Driving all across this…”

“I have worked for some long while, not only supporting the efforts of Mothers Against Drunk Driving all across this country, but worked to see if we cannot, in some way, effect public policy to say to the American people: ``When you drink and drive, you can turn a vehicle into an instrument of murder. And we cannot allow that to continue to happen.'' The fact is, we must decide as a country that we will not tolerate drunk driving. It is not an insignificant event. It is not an infraction and is something to be considered seriously. It is in all too many instances something that causes the loss of life for someone else in this country. And we can do something about it. The important thing is to understand this is not some mysterious ailment for which there is no cure. We understand what happens on our highways, and during the period that I am standing on the floor, if averages hold up, another American will have been killed because some other American was drinking and got in a vehicle.”