The state's doctors got a bit of much-needed relief last week when state officials delivered a temporary respite from the rising cost of medical malpractice insurance.

A bill that Gov. David A. Paterson signed will freeze rates for a year and also forego an anticipated surcharge on policyholders. That won't end the punishing, long-term run-up in the cost of insurance.

Sky-high malpractice insurance premiums are a serious problem for doctors, particularly those practicing high-risk specialties. For instance, neurosurgeons on Long Island pay, on average, $310,000 a year for coverage; obstetricians, $170,000. Antipathy toward trial lawyers aside, it's the people they represent - patients injured by medical negligence - who would be hurt by caps. They are the most vulnerable players in the malpractice drama and shouldn't be forced to bear the brunt of reform.

- Newsday, Long Island

It's ironic that, as a group of college presidents was preparing recently to propose reducing the legal drinking age from 21 to 18, another group of academics - researchers, in this case - was finding that the existing age minimum has reduced traffic deaths significantly.

Yet when 18-year-olds were drinking legally, more of them were dying on the highways. It's that simple - and tragic. A higher drinking age saves lives. That's not a standard from which to retreat.

Is there unfairness in a system that allows an 18-year-old to join the military, vote and assume most of the responsibilities of adulthood but not to buy alcohol?

Sure, but fairness isn't the goal. Keeping people alive is.

Binge drinking is a concern all campuses must address. But the answer isn't to allow more young people to drink and drive.

- The Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester