Physician initiated changes in public policy can result in marked improvements to public health. This is clearly obvious in the case of infectious disease and although more difficult, it can be applied to other areas such as the relationship of obesity to health. An outstanding example of physician initiated change in public policy was the institution of seatbelt laws for children in Tennessee. The simple enactment of a law to mandate seat belts as child passenger protection has reduced children’s traffic deaths by over one half.The clear relationship of blood-alcohol levels to traffic fatalities offers another opportunity to change policy that would reduce deaths. However this task will be much more difficult than enacting legislation to mandate child seat belt protection since there is any entrenched multibillion-dollar alcohol industry and wide spread social attitudes that would generate considerable resistance to such a change.