There is nary a moment when driving drunk should be considered a viable course of action.
That is the reason why state Senate Democrats announced a new bill to stiffen penalties for repeat drunken-driving offenders.
According to a statement released by state Senators Jim Sullivan, D-Wauwatosa, John Lehman, D-Racine, and Jeff Plale, D-South Milwaukee, the bill would make it a felony to drive drunk after three previous offenses or after two offenses within the past five years.
Drinking and driving is a crime that causes damage and destroys lives,"" Kevin Brady, spokesperson for Plale, said. ""It's a problem that won't go away without an aggressive legislative intervention.""
Brady is correct in condemning drunken driving for the damage it does, and this bill is a step in the right direction in preventing people from driving while intoxicated. However, more needs to be decreased.
According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report, 15.1 percent of drivers aged 18 years or older nationally had driven under the influence within the past year. In Wisconsin, the percentage rises to 26.4 percent, the highest in the country.
Once more, a 2007 Traffic Safety Assessment issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found Wisconsin was one of 15 states to increase in total alcohol-impaired fatal crashes, up 4.4 percent from 2006, while the national statistic has declined 3.7 percent.
Although much of this may be because of Wisconsin's drinking culture, laws must be stricter.
Currently, a person's first drunken-driving offense is a traffic citation, with a fine and a license revocation for six to nine months and a $150 to $300 fine. A first-time violation conviction in Illinois results in a full-year loss of driving privileges, a maximum $1,000 fine and possible jail time.
Wisconsin must have stiffer upfront penalties in order to protect our roads. According to the NHTSA report, first-time offenders caused 92 percent of alcohol-induced fatal-accidents. First offenses must be a misdemeanor, and any subsequent drunken-driving offense should be a felony. Wisconsin must do more to curb drunken driving, and only a strict policy can hope to reverse the state's negative reputation as a haven for drunkenness and lenient drunken-driving offenses.
