Alcohol laws must be enforced

Stuff has a story about a 16 year old boy who died drunk driving. The details are that he and two other under 18s were served alcohol eight times in both bars and bottle stores, including when they were clearly intoxicated.

I’m with the parents that those outlets that sold alcohol to 16 year olds should faec significant fines, as well as suspensions or even loss of licence.

There is really no excuse for not checking ID. The best practice is to ask for ID for anyone who looks under 30.

I also support there being increased compliance checks or sting operations. Compliance with the law is not voluntary.

The issue of serving someone intoxicated is a bit more nuanced. It is not as simple as asking for ID. Someone can be drunk but appear sober. In this case it certainly sounds like it should have been apparent, so again charges should be laid. But this is a more subjective area.