This has been on local television news several times Saturday and Sunday but Projo is just now posting online about it?

Certainly a news item from Saturday night could have made todays paper.

But remember, there is no alcohol problem in Barrington!!! All is well!!!

Apparently the lobbying of the neo-prohibitionists at MADD have done nothing to stop drinking and driving. Maybe they should lower the level to .02%? How come there are no extra RIPTA buses on New Years Eve if drinking and driving is such an "epidemic"?

Hmmm.... a teen from Barrington drunk behind the wheel? Now theres a shocker!

When you lose a sister or brother to a drunk driver as I have, you come to one very hard reality, you have no sympathy for those who drink and drive and get caught no matter what their age. And as for the "neo-prohibitionists" comment, the folks at MADD are against DRUNK DRIVING not responsible legal-age drinking.

When are parents going to be held responsible for the actions of their children? This borders on child abuse - allowing your minor child to consume alcohol and drive a vehicle - start charging the parents with the crime, maybe then they will realize just how serious this problem is, and maybe, just maybe another parent will not have to bury their child.

FYI, for a person under 21 the legal limit is currently .02. Also, I don't think it's fair to say that MADD has "done nothing to stop drinking and driving." Any seventeen year old is well aware of the dangers of drinking and driving (especially a Barrington teen, given the events of the past year) and this one chose to do so anyway.

17 yr. olds need to take responsibility for their actions. Either change the age that a driver's license can be obtained to 21, or change the laws so that these "borderline adults" can be punished according to the crime they commit. Parents need to stop protecting their children, and allow them to take the consequences for their actions. The problem arises as to what the consequences should be, as they are still in their formative years. I think military training would be in order, but send them home after; not to war.

You simply can not stop these highly resourceful teenagers from getting hold of those high-alcohol drinks as long as they have been licensed and marketed for public consumption! Instead the authorities should stop licensing and marketing those drunk driving causing drinks, license only those safe “low” alcohol drinks, which does not cause it. Look for “DUI Drunk Driving Root-Cause” weblog.

What blame should be apportioned to the police for chasing the driver? Keep him in view and radio ahead to intercept....BUT that requires effort to accomplish.

What is this constant blathering against Barrington. I live in N. Kingstown, stuffed full of "affordable housing projects" and the like, and you can't open the local paper without seeing a bunch of arrests for DUI.

It's the same things with liberals, no matter what goes wrong in the state, someone is here or in the surveys blathering about liberals, even when its something liberals against.

I have to think this is part of the brain deficit RI exhibits when it re-elects crooks constantly. Try doing something productive instead of just displaying your prejudices.

That said, a nice stiff jail sentence seems appropriate for this fellow, as it is a miracle his victim isn't dead. He should have been charged with more than he obviously was, and held in jail.

Blaming the police for actions of a drunk driver? You have got to be kidding!! How about holding the parents responsible for the actions of the child until the child is old enough to be held responsible for his or her own actions? This is not an issue of awareness, or marketing fruity drinks to young people, and it sure isn't an issue of holding police responsible for the irresponsibility of others. This is an issue of parental responsibility until a kid is old enough to be held responsible for himself.

I too was almost wiped out in Colt State Park while riding on the bike path with my wife and two young daughters in bike seats by a reckless driving teen showing off to his pals by acting stupid behind the wheel of a 4000 lb weapon. This state needs to up the driving age to 18 and any dangerous violation would require loss of license to age 21. PERIOD!

It's not just a Barrington problem. It's just as bad here in North Carolina. Yes, they should be held totally responsible. Parents need to take their heads out of the sand, most do know what their kids are doing.

I know Florida has a law that a driver under the age of 18 cannot drive a vehicle after dark without having an adult in the vehicle - unless he/she is driving to and from work.
Also, there is a 'zero tolerence' for alcohol - not .02 as it is the case in Rhode Island for drivers under 21.
If you cannot buy it legally until you are the age of 21 why allow .02 limit for a 17 year old?
It just opens the door for problems!

AGAIN????? Imagine another Barrington brat who thinks he is above the law....Oh, do not worry his parents money will surley pay someone in the state of R.I. to get him out of this mess. Just like all the others. Isn't is so funny that Barrington residents voted down a Liquor Store in their town !!!!!! Well, now I know why....they don't need a store every child in Barrington has one already, in their own home.
And these people have the audacity to have their noses up in the air, they all think they are so much better than residents from other towns. Well, they are right about one thing they have it all over those "other people" their kids are the only ones who are drinking, driving, and killing adults and children and ruining everyone else's lives.

You parents need to get control of your children. Stay home and take care of them yourself, instead of going on your trips and out to all your parties where guess what is being served? Alcohol !!!!!And then they drive home in their big fancy cars and ooops, hit and run, thank goodness there was no body, or was there??

Wake up Barrington Parents !!!!!!

Unfortunately, at age 17, common sense and wisdom are not exactly well-developed in most people. I think it's fair to say we all made mistakes when we were younger. Heck, I'll bet even a lot of the MADD fanatics made a few mistakes when they were young, and maybe even some of them (gasp!) actually drove when they had too much to drink. Accidents suck, drunk driving sucks - so let's get breathalyzer-enabled ignitions into every teen-driven car.

Wake up, parents from Barrington. Its time to stay home and take care of your family. Money can only buy a house not a home.

I lived in Rhode Island until 1977, but now live in the Texas county with the highest drunken driving arrest rate and alcohol related fatalities in the entire state. This is not to diminish the awful toll alcohol is taking on lives in Rhode Island. Hopefully, Judge J will have his say on this matter, too. It is about time the parents of these teens take a hit, too. Those parents are enablers of drunken teens and their related accidents, including death of innocents. Punish the parents, punish the teens, and revoke the licenses of whatever purveyor of alcohol is responsible. No more debate. Action now is what is necessary.

Oh boy~! When is going to stop because it's all falling apart, now them, then their children...
Something needs to be done now that's severe punishment or this will kill too many innocent people... Stronger punishments and HUGE fines could help but without the guidance of their loving parents, it will get extremely worse.
Do something now before you have to, because when it hits home, you open your eyes and ears more!
Better role models are needed, especially @ home.
Take care! steve.v.

I think that RI should do something. How many more Kids are going to be killed or kill someone before REAL action is taken. This is just another incidence in which alcohol/ and drugs were involved. What about all the other kids who do these things everynight??? What about setting up somewhere you can call for a designated driver, with no consequences? Maybe kids wouldn't drink and drive. Kids are going to be kids, and maybe with other options and with someother means of transportation, things like this wouldn't happen every month! Parents also need to remember when they were young and yes they did it, but was it right? What if you child is next? Then what do you do?

Barrington kids buried 4 friends in 2 years, you think by now they would have learned. Bring the sobriety check points in RI back!

Well Hello what a shame. Young people throwing there lives away and taking someone else life with them. How cam soneone under the age of 21 have a drinking level isn't the law 21? Grew upin R.I. where I live now we have 0 tollorence.

The thing about teen drinking is the only person to blame is the kid. In my opinion, the most parents can do is inform their children of the harmful consequences of drinking underage. The kids are the ones making the bad choices to get in a car drunk, or to drink in the first place. How much money the town has makes no difference in the matter. Teenage drinking happens all over the country and the fact that Barrington is in the spotlight disgusts me. No one should point fingers at all. The parents are not to blame, the teachers and school faculty are not to blame, the town itself is not to blame either. The kids make the decisions, they must pay the price. Simple as that.

To Eric:

We all know the answer to why "there are no extra RIPTA buses on New Years Eve if drinking and driving is such an "epidemic"?

RIPTA recently made it clear that it is their policy that bus drivers will not allow a drunk person on the bus. The most recent incident in the news was on the 42 Hope Street line (in Pawtucket, I think) when the driver wouldn't allow a man he thought was drunk onto the bus, and the bus ran over the guy when he slipped.