As the mother of a teenage driver, I hear a lot of griping, for lack of a polite term, about how Illinois'  laws regarding teen drivers are stupid.

I can see his point, but I also remember all the Tazewell teens younger than 18 we lost because of driving fatalities during a 16-month span almost three years ago. We were averaging one a month.

And while none of those deaths involved a Washington child, my heart seized each time. No one likes to hear about the death of a child, anyone's child.

Then the fact, that in the blink of an eye, tragedy can strike us here in Washington. Evan Knoblauch, a beloved senior, lost control of his car and struck a tree. He did not survive.

Evan's death hit Washington hard. For those of us who knew Evan, we could not believe such a thing could happen to such a great kid. But, it did.

What made it even more difficult for me was my own son would soon be driving.

Regardless of the reason behind the accident, it simply reinforced the need to protect our teens.

After reading an article in the August edition of Reader's Digest about teen drivers at risk, I am even more encouraged about Illinois' desire to protect young drivers. Illinois was ranked among the best in the nation for teen driving laws.

Now, if lawmakers would be tougher on all the idiots out there who insist on driving while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, such as the woman who was just recently convicted of hitting a parked car and killing a woman. The defendent was found to be under the influence of several substances.

We will have to wait until her October sentencing to find out how long she will spend in jail while her victim's family is without their loved one.

Too often, DUI offenders get off with what can only be considered a slap on the wrist.