On Feb. 18, Vickie Riley was walking across Fayetteville Street near Burlington Avenue, in Durham. At the same time, Brendan Bass, age 21, drove his car southward, ran into her and killed her. He was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI), and other violations.

This terrible event reminds me of many similar tragedies that I have seen in court -- over a span of 45 years.

What can judges do about it? We can rant and rave at those who have come before us who are convicted of DUI. This may have good results for a short time, but seldom is a permanent solution. Another way is to put them in jail. That is certainly appropriate in some cases. Yet the evidence is that jail, by itself, usually does no good.

Mr. "Jones" appeared before me in court, charged with being drunk and disruptive. I remembered him because he had committed the same crime several times before.

"I thought when I put you in jail the last time it would help you to stop drinking," I said.

"No, judge," Jones replied, "I spent all my time in jail yearning for a drink, and when I got out I headed straight for some whisky and had me a drink." An honest man!

The people who try to contend with the problem of drinking and driving sometimes feel as helpless as a grain of sand at the beach - trying to prevent the waves of an endless ocean from coming in.

Yet we must not give up. And my fellow judges in Orange and Chatham Counties will not give up either.

This week the newspapers have announced that all three branches of government in North Carolina have agreed on having a broad study of ways to reduce the number of people in our prisons. In my opinion, greater attention to the problems associated with alcohol consumption, particularly teen-age drinking, will reduce the number of people in prison. Many crimes would never have been committed if the defendants had not been drinking at the time of the offense.

The people of Maryland realize this. Their Impaired Driving Coalition has started a fresh anti-DUI campaign. On Super Bowl weekend, they created a remarkable web site, which can be found at www.duiisforlosers.com. http://www.duiisforlosers.com. It is called "DUI is for Losers." The web page shows videos of three DUI accident victims. It also has a video about Mike Jacoby, the drunken driver who ran into and killed Olympic ice hockey goalie Jessica Vetter. These videos show the lifetime of sorrow and pain that is caused by drunk drivers.

The Maryland Impaired Driving Coalition is using new ideas. They built a large, flashing neon sign on the wall of their detention center. The sign read:

"FREE ROOMS FOR DRUNK DRIVERS."

They put up posters in bars -- even posters on bathroom floors in the bars. These floor posters are imaginative and patrons cannot help but see them. The bar owners are cooperative, because they know that they need to behave responsibly lest they be sued by victims of drunken drivers.

I urge my fellow judges all across North Carolina to take note of what has happened in Maryland, and to re-double their efforts at educating people about DUI's and teenage drinking. To be effective, they need to utilize all existing facilities including probation, alcohol counselors, AA, community service and citizens groups.

I urge judges to talk to alcohol counselors, to visit alcohol treatment facilities and go to AA meetings. We could also come up with new ways to get the message across. For instance, we could order convicted drunken drivers to look at the web site shown above. It has a powerful impact on many people.

We could also invite defendants to come over on the other side of the aisle and make suggestions as to how we can deal with the DUI -- teen drinking problem. Yes, and join with us in our efforts!!

Those who have been convicted of alcohol-related offenses can make effective advocates for change. Remember Mr. "Jones," who had the courage to speak the truth? He joined AA, became a recovering alcoholic, and has helped others recover from alcoholism! What a man!

Stanley Peele serves as an emergency judge throughout the state. Readers can contact him at chh@heraldsun.com or c/o The Chapel Hill Herald, 2828 Pickett Road, Durham, NC 27705.