Wisconsin lawmakers consider finally getting tough on drunk drivers

This could be the year Wisconsin finally gets tough on drunk drivers. Some lawmakers in Madison have been working for years to strengthen the state’s drunk driving laws, and some proposals in recent years have passed the assembly but stalled in the senate. The sentiment toward toughening the laws now seems to be growing, with a number of bills under consideration. One of the bills calls for finally making first offense drunk driving a criminal misdemeanor. Wisconsin remains the only state that considers a first OWI a civil offense rather than a criminal one. Another bill under consideration calls for installing ignition interlock devices on the cars of all those charged with driving drunk. Currently only repeat offenders or those with very high blood alcohol levels are required to install the devices. Another bill would require a mandatory five year minimum sentence for those who kill someone for driving drunk. Yet another would require 18 month prison sentences for those with five or more OWI’s on their record. Critics argue getting tougher on drunk drivers would clog our courts. But we don’t go easy on those who commit other crimes just because it would make our judges busier. Let’s hope that this is the year Wisconsin lawmakers finally realize Wisconsin doesn’t just have a drinking problem, it has a drinking and driving problem.