State Legislature May Stiffen DUI Penalties

The Wisconsin Legislature is on the verge of stiffening the state’s drunk driving laws, but some don’t think the state is going far enough to curb an embarrassing problem.

The State Assembly passed Assembly Bill 283 unanimously Sept. 17. Now in the Senate, the bill would make a fourth, instead of a fifth, drunk driving offense a felony and would require ignition interlocks in the vehicles of anyone convicted of operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol concentration of .15 or greater and for all repeat offenders. Enforcement of the bill could cost the state up to $70 million a year, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

Wisconsin would remain the only state where first-time drunk driving is not a felony offense.

Frank Harris, state policy specialist for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in Washington D.C., said the bill is a significant baby step for Wisconsin, but still falls short.

“By no means is this a comprehensive reform bill,” he said. “It does not make a first offense a criminal misdemeanor. It does not require ignition interlocks for all drunk drivers.”

Harris said that since 50 percent of drunk drivers are first-time offenders, the legislation effectively addresses half the problem.

“Interlocks are the best method proven to reduce repeat offenses and fatalities,” he said.

Representative Garey Bies (R-Sister Bay) has proposed tougher legislation that would make first-offense drunk driving a criminal misdemeanor, but he said that proposal has gained little traction.

“The cost factor is definitely important,” he said. “You would have to add public defenders, district attorney staff, probation officers, and you would have more people fighting in court to avoid the harsher penalties.”

Harris said those costs are outweighed by the cost of drunk driving deaths. According to statistics provided by MADD, 3,196 people have been killed in drunk driving accidents in Wisconsin in the last 10 years, costing the state $3.5 billion. Those accidents caused an additional 67,588 injuries that cost the state $3.2 billion.

A state crackdown on drunk driving from Aug. 21 through Sept. 7 caught 1,203 drunk drivers.

Bies said he will continue to fight for tougher penalties, but supports AB 283 as a small step.

“I don’t think this is strong enough, but it’s something that can pass,” Bies said.