It’s been proven once again: We have a terribly lax attitude about drunken driving.

State police over the Labor Day weekend arrested 40 people for driving under the influence during sobriety checkpoints in Butler and Armstrong counties.

The roving checkpoints were in southern Butler County between Friday night and Saturday morning and in Armstrong County from Sunday night to Monday morning.

And it’s a certainty that for every one arrested, dozens made it home without being stopped.

Municipal police forces reported at least five more weekend DUI arrests.

There were crashes too — 31 in all handled by Pennsylvania State Police Troop D in Butler Township. Troopers reported nearly one-quarter of these crashes were DUI-related.

That’s a lot of motorists flouting the DUI laws — and a lot of others tolerating their risky behavior, which adds up to dangerous driving conditions for everyone. It’s a stunning display of flagrant disregard for public safety.

There is no acceptable excuse for driving while impaired by alcohol, especially in a day and age when everyone has a cell phone and nearly everyone has a car. How difficult is it to recruit a designated driver?

And it’s Labor Day, the end of summer. There are none of the winter hazards like slick roads, dangerously low temperatures or the risk of exposure to winter cold. The weather can’t be blamed for forcing anyone to drive this time of year.

And we’re not buying the standard explanation that drunk people simply make poor decisions. Drink responsibly, the commercials remind us. There’s no justifiable reason, if you’re attending an event where alcohol is served, not to plan ahead and avoid taking a stupid risk.

The growing acceptance of the use of marijuana only increases the risks of hazardous behavior. There’s insufficient data about marijuana use and impairment, and the existing studies give differing results. However, most agree that when combined with alcohol, marijuana tends to enhance the sense of inebriation and exaggerates the slowed reflexes and dulled senses associated with drunkenness.

Despite the full realization of right and wrong, people still will drive drunk. For these there is only one response: Make the right thing to do the easiest thing to do.

This can be achieved by making the wrong thing more laden with consequence. Toughen the DUI penalties, particularly for chronic repeat offenders. Take away their license, and then their car. Take away their freedom with more jail time. Take away their resources with increased fines and costs for mandatory alcohol abuse treatments and alcohol highway safety school.

The objective always should be to eliminate drunken driving. It would be a comfort to believe the current roadblocks can do that, but the multitude of weekend arrests discourages that notion. Yet again.

Tougher DUI penalties are the best remedy to help eliminate DUI wrecks and fatalities.