On July 1, Gov. Bobby Jindal followed up on his word to implement stricter public safety regulations by signing three new laws that increase the punishments against anybody found guilty of driving while intoxicated.The legislation comes on top of evidence that the state has already experienced a steady reduction in the number of alcohol-related deaths during the last few decades.However, since those numbers have started to level out recently, Jindal has made it clear that accepting the status quo is simply not enough.”We are sending a clear signal that we will not tolerate dangerous, life-risking behavior on our roadways,” Jindal said.One of the bills signed into effect was Senate Bill 166 by Sen. Reggie Dupre, D-Bourg, which strengthens current penalties for individuals convicted of DWI offenses while having a suspended license from a previous alcohol-related conviction. The bill calls for a minimum of 15 days of jail time for any person caught driving with a suspended license after a DWI conviction, with a maximum sentence of 6 months.The law goes on to say that if the license has been suspended for manslaughter, vehicular homicide or negligent homicide related to a DWI, a mandatory sentence of 60 days in jail will be required.Jindal also signed HB 445 by Rep. Damon Baldone, D-Houma, which requires that intoxicated drivers lose their driver’s licenses if they refuse to submit to DWI testing. The new law doubles the suspension for refusing the DWI testing from six months to a year.The final bill in Jindal’s DWI package is HB 444 by Rep. Jonathan W. Perry, R-Abbeville, which is designed to help streamline the process of bringing DWI offenders to justice. The law explicitly prohibits defense attorneys from taking arresting officers’ statements before administrative hearings are held to decide if a DWI offender should be stripped of his or her license.While the state has recently intensified its efforts to punish drunk drivers, the University’s Wellness Education Department has been working for years to educate students on the dangers of binge drinking and alcohol abuse. So far, the department appears to be getting results.A 2009 Alcohol and Drug survey by the CORE Institute at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill., showed that 48.8 percent of LSU students reported binge drinking within two weeks of the survey, down from 49.7 percent in 2007. Also, 10.5 percent of LSU students said they did not consume alcohol last year, up from 9.6 percent in 2007, according to The Daily Reveille.Though the University’s numbers have improved lately, federal surveys indicate that the problems are only getting worse across the nation.A recent study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) found alcohol-related deaths, heavy drinking episodes and drunk driving have all been on the rise among 18- to 24-year-olds during the last decade.The proportion of college students in that age group who were killed in accidents related to alcohol use increased 3 percent per 100,000 — from 1,440 in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005. During the same time period, the rates of students reporting binge drinking and driving while under the influence increased 7 percent and 9 percent, respectively.Specifically, the biggest increases were seen among 21- to 24-year-olds, according to the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.Some argue that the results indicate the success of state laws enforcing the legal drinking age of 21. However, failure to effectively counteract these trends across the entire age spectrum has led to firmer legislation across the nation.In 2000, only 17 states had set .08 as a blood-alcohol level upper limit for driving. Now, all 50 have adopted that figure. Despite these efforts,  national trends have remained relatively stagnant, and the problems remain as evident as ever.Alcohol-related car crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and injure somebody every 2 minutes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.There is no doubt that increasing the safety of our roadways is critical for the protection of all citizens.Everybody is liable to make mistakes. But at this point, it should be clear that harsher regulation alone won’t reverse these trends.The best way to protect our community is to find more creative ways to prevent alcohol-related incidents, not merely worsen the punishment.That’s why private citizens need to work together and come up with ways to reduce these occurrences through safety education programs and individual incentives, not to merely reprimand them through enhanced legislative action. And, as always, this starts with holding ourselves and our peers responsible.Scott Burns is a 20-year-old history and business junior from Baton Rouge.—–Contact Scott Burns at [email protected]