The tragic death of Karey Marsh on Tuesday brings up a topic that is very old news, but which unfortunately still appears frequently on the pages of our paper:

Fatal accidents linked to drunken driving.

Marsh, 46, was jogging in the bike lane of Lindero Canyon Road on the border between Thousand Oaks and Oak Park early Tuesday morning when a car hit and killed her.

The driver, Nicholas Lagrotta, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and vehicular manslaughter, police said.

There's nothing new about links between preventable death and drunken driving. But despite all the programs and public relations campaigns, people still kill themselves and others at an alarming rate when they get hammered and get behind the wheel.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

"In 2006, 13,470 people were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. These
alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for 32 percent of the total motor
vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States."

A quick skim of our local headlines makes it clear Ventura County is not exempt.

In the past year alone, we've reported about numerous people who died as a result of inebriated driving.

Take a look at some of our recent stories:

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/aug/26/no-headline---nxxfcfatal27/

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/03/injured-chp-officer-home-after-6-months-of/

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/apr/14/man-killed-vehicle-wreck-identified/

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/apr/02/forensic-experts-say-drugs-found-in-drivers/

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/28/teenager-is-killed-two-are-injured-in-car-crash/

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jan/14/oscar-winning-screenwriter-arrested-in-fatal-in/

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/apr/11/accident-victim-in-critical-condition/

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/may/15/teen-killed-in-crash-had-been-drinking/

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jul/21/boy-dies-car-crash-driver-held/