EDITORIAL: New law cracking down on driving "super drunk" may not be harsh enough
The “high blood alcohol content enhanced penalty law” is more than harsh fines, increased jail time and new restrictions. This law strengthens previous DUI legislation, and similar measures have worked in other states.
New Mexico was the first state to adopt legislation with harsher penalties for higher levels of intoxication. Drivers with a blood alcohol level of .16, “aggravated driving while intoxicated,” face a minimum 48 hours in jail, one year of driver’s license revocation, 24 hours of community service and $500 fine. Offenders, no matter their blood alcohol level, must install an ignition interlock device, which requires them to breathalize under the legal limit before they will be able to start their car.
And the measures are working.
Reports say the number of DUIs issued in New Mexico has decreased by 20 percent since the law was approved in 2005.
Three other states, Arizona, Illinois and Louisiana, have added the ignition interlock device requirement to their drunk driving laws.
It is only natural that Michigan would want to follow suit.
One-third of Michigan drivers who are pulled over for DUIs have a blood alcohol level of .17, a trend that holds true in Mount Pleasant.
But the Michigan law is not as harsh as the legislation enacted in New Mexico. An offender’s licenses are only suspended for 45 days. The minimum fine is $200. The ignition interlock device is only required for the first year, and only if you are above the .17 percent cut off.
Michigan “super drunks” are not punished as much as first time New Mexico offenders, who face a minimum $500 fine, and a year with an ignition interlock device after at least six months without their license.
The Michigan law might not be strong enough to become anything other than a party joke, however, with students raising their glasses to getting “super drunk.”
Since each year in the U.S., 30 to 40 people die in drunk driving related car accidents and people spend $7.6 billion on medical costs motivated by drunk driving Michigan lawmankers need to make sure the steps they are taking to prevent drunk driving are truly strong enough to prevent driving, not inspire a toast.
