Many factors converged in fatal crash

How many more useless deaths have to occur before our legislators will pass laws that will have enough power to stop this horrible problem? We can wait no longer to do something. Linda Oldham

Agreed. Tougher laws may help, BUT JUDGES HAVE TO BE WILLING TO ENFORCE THOSE LAWS.

It was the teenagers, not Owens, who were driving on the wrong side of the road at the moment of their head-on collision.
The teenagers were breaking two safety laws that prohibit teenagers from driving at night and from driving without an adult in the car.
Jay Lander

Now, THIS is interesting. Looking at some of these letters, I see that a couple of the writers are not sure who was on the wrong side of the road at time of impact. That's something for the crime scene investigators to determine, I guess.
Regardless, in hindsight there is certainly enough blame to go around for all. No one should drink and drive and I think an inexperienced sixteen-year-old driver with a car full of other kids out after midnight is a recipe for disaster. Personally, I don’t think that Owens should end up being a poster-boy for the DUI problem.

RandyNason wrote:

Personally, I don’t think that Owens should end up being a poster-boy for the DUI problem.

Then, do you have any qualify DWI candidate that should end-up being a poster-boy for the DUI problem in New Mexico? Keep in mind, Mr. Owne did in fact kill four innocent people and injured one to the point of near death. So, what do you suggest Mr. RandyNason?

People,
You can pass all the laws you want with the maximum penalty enforced, but that's not going to stop the individual who thinks they can hold it.
Responsibility starts at home. Set the example and live it. That assumes you have someone with a base sense of responsibility to think of others.
Considering the high-school mentality many adults in this state have I know I'm not opotomistic.

Jay,
What are you talking about? Scott Owens was the one driving THE WRONG DIRECTION. Police arrested him for this reason, and the fact he looked, acted, smelled drunk. His eyes were bloodshot, his speech slurred. If Scott had done no wrong like you seem to think, he wouldn't be charged with vehicular manslaughter. The police have the evidence, not you, and the police think he was in the wrong(he was). MULTIPLE witnesses saw him driving the wrong direction,, the only people claiming otherwise are scotts friends/family who DIDN'T EVEN SEE THE WRECK. Again-the only witnesses to this say Scott was driving in the wrong lane, not the other teens. Scott’s mom wasn’t even there, you weren’t there, but the pople who were, and the cops who have the evidence agree he was driving the wrong direction.
Why does everyone focus on the curfew of the teens? This wouldn’t have happened if Scott Owens wasn’t an idiot drunk who did this often(his own friend had quotes that he’d been with him when he’d wreck while drunk, plus he has a past DUI)
What is worse, staying out later than curfew, or driving wasted and killing four people? Just because the teens were out past curfew doesn’t mean they deserved to be murdered by a drunk.
You should be mad at Scott Owens, not kids for staying out to late(oh the humanity). One killed four people, the other broke curfew(who hasn’t)

RandyNason wrote:

It was the teenagers, not Owens, who were driving on the wrong side of the road at the moment of their head-on collision.
The teenagers were breaking two safety laws that prohibit teenagers from driving at night and from driving without an adult in the car.
Jay Lander
Now, THIS is interesting. Looking at some of these letters, I see that a couple of the writers are not sure who was on the wrong side of the road at time of impact. That's something for the crime scene investigators to determine, I guess.
Regardless, in hindsight there is certainly enough blame to go around for all. No one should drink and drive and I think an inexperienced sixteen-year-old driver with a car full of other kids out after midnight is a recipe for disaster. Personally, I don’t think that Owens should end up being a poster-boy for the DUI problem.

Regardless of peoples opinions about this comment, it proved to be very confusing to the readers of the paper and should have been followed by some sort of comment by the editor about what was actually reported by the crime scene investigators. I think a news publication has an obligation to either investigate and comment on a letter like this, or choose not to print it.

There is a state memorial where these victims can have recognition. The Memorial of Perpetual Tears is on I-40 in Moriarty, NM.
I've been working on it since 1994. It is for these wonderful children that I have done this as well as mothers fathers wives and all who have died because of DWI.
I welcome all the young people that loved your victims and their families to come. We will honor them.I promise.
Sonja Britton
Moriarty, NM

santa fe listen up..... all other cities ur welcome to do so as well......

I have,, and have had this idea for years....
since drive-ups got eliminated........too bad some one else will
take the credit for this...[all my friends agree with my idea]......
but here goes:
Sell ALL BEER warm--room temperature....NO
one I know drinks warm beer [tho there may be a few folks out
there that do]...allow me to explain further.....a person buys warm
beer he / she has to take it home to chill ..it will take 1 hr
minimum to chill properly.....or this person can buy ice and
carry a foam cooler in his / her vehicle but that chilling process
will take 10 minutes b4 the beer is
properly chilled.....this time period "JUST" may
be the right amount of time for this individual
to get home and not have one on the road...and
thus enjoy it even more at home with friends and family in
a safe enviornment as opposed to the road/highway/interstate.....
the only objector will be Coor's they insist their product be kept
chilled from birth to girth....BUT.... surly U representative/and/legislature
folks can find a way around this ' tiny ' delimna.....

george wrote:

.....

was a stupid idea the first 5 times you posted it. Target the offender, not the product or the innocent.