The best antidote to drunken driving is a stronger law enforcement presence throughout the state.

The safety and security of South Carolina families should be the No. 1 priority for state and local leaders. Yet South Carolinians are not safe -- at least not on the roads.

Our state again has been ranked among the worst in the nation for drunken driving fatalities. South Carolina is 10th among the "Fatal Fifteen" of states where 41 percent or more of all traffic fatalities are alcohol-related, according to the Coalition to End Needless Death on Our Roads and the National Safety Council. In 2004, 1,046 people were killed on South Carolina roads.

The state's overall rate of fatalities on the road remains one of the highest in the nation. With several weeks left in this year, more people have died on South Carolina roads than in the same period in 2004. As of Dec. 8, there were 1,020 traffic fatalities in the state, compared to 964 at the same time last year.

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This tragic situation has been allowed to fester for too long. State lawmakers in recent years have finally begun to get serious about reducing the high number of fatalities on the road, but they've taken their sweet time in doing it. And it's a sad reflection on state leadership that the debates over DUI standards, the seat-belt law, minibottles and related issues have been marked sometimes by political shenanigans and ideological grandstanding -- both of which have wasted time and wasted lives.

Lawmakers have lowered the DUI standard from .10 to .08 percent blood alcohol content, following the lead of many other states. Lawmakers and then voters also took the sensible step of getting rid of minibottles in bars and restaurants. Minibottles most probably contributed to the state's highly intoxicating drinks and high rate of drunken driving, and they needed to be discontinued.

A tougher seat belt law, meanwhile, should protect more motorists and, incidentally, make them more safety-conscious. The most important deterrent to reckless and drunken driving, of course, is a strong law enforcement presence. Last year, state lawmakers began to hire more troopers after years of neglecting the Highway Patrol. Gov. Sanford is supporting another increase in the trooper ranks next year. The state Legislature should get on board as well.

But even if the state added 100 more troopers, Highway Patrol staffing levels would still likely be below the levels of the year 2000 -- even though the state has added tens of thousands of cars. Troopers complain that they often are so busy responding to accidents they have little time for traffic enforcement -- catching speeders and drunken drivers.

Another and related issue that must be addressed: The state loses too many troopers to higher-paying law enforcement agencies or other jobs. Clearly, adding new troopers helps protect South Carolinians little if at the same time the state is losing more experienced veterans to other departments or different careers.