Newspapers / The lance. / Sept. 23, 1983, edition 1 / Page 5
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3 September 23, 1983 The Lance Safe Roads Act Redefines Drunk Driving By Maureen Ingalls Since January, North Carolina legislators have been lobbying for passage of a bill to combat the effects of drinking and driving. Previously, there was a wide spectrum of criminal of fenses which made prosecu tion of such cases rather am biguous. Ratified in early June, a new measure, the Safe Roads Act, totally redefines the regulation of drunk driving. Most importantly, the law to take effect October 1, 1983 will focus on one crime- -impaired driving (from alcohol content to controlled substances to both) which will, as one analysis said, “eliminate officials’ descre- tion on charging.” Five levels of severity in punish ment will ensure fairness and some measure of standard ness in sentencing. For repeated offenders, man datory jail terms will be in stituted. Lesser offenses will result in one of three punishments—jail, license revocation, and community service work. Referral to alcohol treatment facilities will be part of the new con- ecpt in confronting drunk driving. During a recent meeting held at Duke University and hosted by the North Carolina Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the “Safe Driving Act” was discussed with particular reference to effects upon col- ^fWOF BAOVRDI GM. Resenfe lege campuses. Legislator Lancaster of Goldsboro, one of the initiators of the policy, described the new provisions of the statute. A staunch sup porter of its concept, Lan caster said that the measure was a more “comprehensive standpoint on approaching the problem” of drunk driv ing. He cited driving while impaired as the most “con clusive factor” in assuring prosecution. Provisons of the new measure focus upon the five levels of punishment men tions before based upon severity of conviction. Restitution for criminal ac tivity was instituted to reduce arbitrariness and prosecution Adminstrative revocation of licenses will be another thrust of the Safe Roads Act which should, as Lancaster said, provide a “slap in the face” to those whose driving indicates probable cause of impairment. As of October 1 the status of Umited driving privileges will be radically different. In the past, judges have had no strict code for designating specific driving privileges thus punishment was in consequential. Only hardship cases i.e. transportation to school or place of employ ment, will be given any special consideration. The “roadblock testing” provision in the Act provides a statutory framework for enforcement of the drinking and driving prohibition. Winston-Salem has ~ dinated such a campaign, said Lancaster, which has been successful in random selec tion of vehicle operators. Law enforcement officials conducting a roadblock may ask the driver to submit to an alcohol detection test. The raising of the legal drinking age to nineteen is perhaps, for college students the most controversial measure that will be effective October 1. The primary im petus for the legislators to lobby so strongly for the change was to “get drinking out of the high school,” said Lancaster. The long range plan in Raleigh is to attempt to raise the age next year to 20 and the following year to 21 if statistics indicate that the new law has not had a significant impact upon society. One aspect of the age issue is verification. As part of the Act, a provision was includ ed that designated only four accepted forms of identifica tion. These are Motor Vehi cle registration card, passport, military ID, and operator’s driver’s license. ABC permittees have been instructed not to sell alcohol to anyone not possessing one of these four types. Owners of such establishments also will reserve the right to verify their validity. A crackdown on fraudulent or altered ID’s has led to the loss of license, jail sentencing, or fines as punishment for these criminal offenses. As a new and stronger pro vision, any situation in which probable cause is formed with a 16-18 year old under the influence of controlled substances or alcohol, automatic revocation of license will result for 45 days or age 18 whichever is longer. The “dram shop” section of the Safe Roads Act is perhaps the most untested of the provisions. Briefly, this provision places responsibili ty for alcohol-related injury or death upon the given or seller of alcohol if the receiver was underage or already intoxicated. Strict penalties for the giver or seller have been instituted but as of yet there has been little litigation in this area. In order to deal with this in the St. Andrews community, a joint effort has been made through the Student Life Committee/Student Life Staff and the Student Association. The initial ob jective of this task force is to inform all members (residen tial and non-residential) of the new measurers to be ef fective October 1 of this year. In order to assure the success of this education pro gram, community wide ef fort is encouraged so that questions may be addressd and answered. Within the next several weeks, students should be aware of any resulting changes in St. An drews policy in order to become more congruent with^ changes in state law. Forum Dark Ages In the beginning, God created heaven and earth, and He saw that this was good. Then God said “Let here be light,” but there was 10 light. It was then the He knew He was at St. Andrews. In many ways, it would seem as if St. Andrews has entered the Dark Ages. Our telephone services have been cut off after 5 p.m.; and after dark, our school is not properly lit. People are forced to walk in pairs or not go out at all. Parents and friends are forc ed to wait until the next day to get in touch with their sons Continued on Page 8 if/c Defying Gravity David Propst A much missed face is back at St. Andrews after a years absence Dr. Leon Applegate, associate Professor of biology, returned in July from Taiwan, where he had been teachine at Tunghai University. Sg his stay Leon had the opportunity to dive and Sience Council of Taiwan for a grant to study orgamsms XrSn?io,k »as .he finding of 17 n.^y Museum for confirma^_^^^ pubUshed in “Academica S” • the pubUcation of the Taiwanese National Science "Zlig February Leon the University in Dumaguette, where he “hlSrfefSS. .r,a.Uon^socl»clcedo...hesup.. natural elements of the PhiUppines. He did this while visiting the island of Suquor, 7 miles from Negros. After arriving at the island’s hotel and fin ding it full he had the experience of sleeping on a couch in the hotel lobby with two great danes. He later visited the town of Maria on the island. Maria is the center of wit chcraft in the Philippines. Leon “hung around and listen ed to stories” through the day. He discovered the witches there, male and female, “do what witches usually do- curse poeple, take off curses, spiritual heahng, even bloodless surgery”. „ . j Later in the year Leon traveled to Orchid Island, about 40 miles off Taiwan’s coast. There he met an Hungarian anthropologist from the University of Pennsylvania who was studying the culture of a primitive tribe on the island, the Yami. Leon learned that the Yami were a very superstitious people, and he was to have a chance to better understand their superstitions. Orchid Island is a “brooding island formed of black lava. At the base of the black mountain the Yami call the “Devil’s Mountain”, sharp clifts drop into the ocean. Here is where the Yami buy their dead in the recesses pounded into the clifts by the sea. The Yami call it the “Place of Death”. Leon had the chance to dive a the “Place of Death one evening with his anthropologist friend and two Yami men. He described the experience as “erie”. Before the Yami men would dive they placed blades of a sharp grass in the straps of their masks and in their swimsuits, and had Leon and his friend to do the same. The reason for this was that the Yami beheve that while ghosts cannot be harmed by knives, the sharp grass will cut them. Thus the grass would protect them from spirits in the water. The men then sang a chant to the gods and ghosts asking for permission to enter the sea safely. Leon said of the evening, “that night I could believe in ghosts myselF*.
Sept. 23, 1983, edition 1
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