Highlighting stupidity

A man in Woodinville had a court date for his drunken driving charge. The hearing was put off when he showed up to court drunk. The judge ordered a breath test after the defendent's attorney informed the court that he thought his client was drunk. The defendent recorded a .32, four times the legal limit of .08. Rather than be taken to jail, he was taken to the hospital for possible alcohol poisoning. Full Story

In another story, a Washington State Senator is sponsoring a bill that would require convicted drunk drivers to have fluorescent-yellow license plates on their cars for one year — once their driving privileges have been restored. Full Story

There was a kinda funny letter to the editor this morning as a response:

I am simultaneously hysterical and terribly frightened regarding Sen. Mike Carrell's plan to require that convicted DUI drivers put bright-yellow license plates on their vehicles, to help law enforcement officials and to alert drivers to give them a wider berth.

Let us take this brilliant idea to the next level. Here are some additional indicators to help our great citizens who are in obvious peril behind the wheel:

Neon-blinking plates: Elderly people with poor vision and slower response times;

Flashing red plates: Young teens who have recently obtained a driver's license;

White with red-striped plates: Adults who have not had a good night's sleep and appear overtired;

Plate numbers with only "1"s and "0"s: People who like to text message or speak on cellphones while driving;

And to ensure the bill is totally comprehensive, we must include the dreaded textured "waffle" plate, for anyone who has held public office who promised one thing but did another. "Those who live in glass houses ... "

— Kevin Tefft, Seattle