The terrible death of Raife Milligan, a promising NYU student who was killed after he was struck by a drunk driver, prompted Barron H. Lerner, MD, a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, to pen an op-ed, published in the New York Daily News advocating for major steps to prevent future deaths at the hands of those who drive drunk.

“This case re-energized my advocacy to eliminate drunk driving forever,” says Dr. Lerner, a member of the Division of Medical Ethics and author of the book One for the Road: Drunk Driving Since 1900. “The work of groups like Remove Intoxicated Drivers (RID) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has helped make major inroads, but now there is new technology that can really move the needle.” Dr. Lerner refers to passive alcohol detection systems, which he advocates should be installed in all new cars. It is part of the recently passed infrastructure law.

In his op-ed, Dr. Lerner concludes, “The reality is that some individuals will continue to ignore reasonable entreaties to not drink and drive. But technology can now force impaired drivers to do the right thing. Accepting these new technologies is the least we owe victims like Raife Milligan and too many others like him.”

Read more from the New York Daily News.