Steve Russell: Addressing drunken driving in Indian Country

Few of us have been unscathed by alcohol, and I am no exception. A close Cherokee relative, big-hearted and kind when sober, was a mean drunk who finally ended his life in a drunken header off a bridge. When my son was 7, I had to tell him a drunken driver had killed his best soccer buddy. Another drunken driver cost me seven months in a hospital and injuries that affect my daily life almost fifty years later.

I am one of the lucky ones who can take booze or leave it, so the only moral issue is that I leave it when with someone I know is not so lucky. Not being a drunk does not make me feel superior, since I know it only means I’ve won a genetic lottery.

State legislatures and tribal councils come under pressure whenever there are particularly gruesome deaths, usually of children. The number of drunken driving deaths per capita by state fluctuates, but most of Indian country stays consistently above the median. We worry over it, and we have good reason to worry.