Capitol Connection
By State Senator Joe Leibham
April 23, 2008
Changing the Drunk Driving Culture
Last week, a troubling new study was released that places yet another black mark on Wisconsin’s record on drunken driving. The study, released by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, surveyed 127,283 adults nationwide and found that 26.4 percent of Wisconsin drivers who participated in the study admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol sometime in the past year – compared to 15.1 percent of drivers nationally. Unfortunately, this number far outpaced every other state, putting us in first place in a very undesirable category.
While I am a proud Wisconsinite, our status as the nation’s leader in drunk driving is shameful. In 2006, according to the state Department of Transportation, 305 people died on Wisconsin’s highways in alcohol-related traffic accidents. In addition, drivers who had been drinking were involved in a staggering 8,258 auto accidents that resulted in 5,654 injuries. It seems that every couple of months there is yet another tragic story about a drunk driver causing a serious – or fatal – car crash.
In response to this deadly behavior, and as a member of the Governor’s Council on Highway Safety, I have volunteered to join a subcommittee that will spend the next several months working to find viable and lasting solutions to our state’s drunk driving problem. The subcommittee, known as the Governor’s Council Subcommittee on Impaired Driving, has now had two meetings and I am encouraged by the enthusiasm and the commitment on the part of its members to truly reduce the number of drunk drivers on Wisconsin’s roads – and work for bold reform instead of the usual band-aid cosmetic measures.
At the first two meetings, the subcommittee has worked to target a number of areas in which to focus its main efforts. One area is ignition interlock devices, or IID’s. An IID is a device that is physically wired into an automobile and requires a driver to blow into it – and prove sobriety – before the auto can start. Wisconsin currently has IID laws for repeat offenders, but they are poorly enforced. I have been working on this problem for a number of months but have been unable to reach an agreeable solution. I am hopeful the subcommittee will have success in moving forward a workable answer.
The committee will also discuss enhancing penalties for driving drunk. Specifically, we will review the positive and negative ramifications of making a first-offense “OWI” a criminal offense.
Another topic of discussion for the committee will be what methods could be used to raise public awareness of drunken driving and communicate the need to end this practice.
Other strategies that will be discussed include the need for greater collaboration on drunk driving enforcement between various law enforcement agencies and more open communication between law enforcement and citizen groups operating programs like the Tavern League’s Safe Ride program.
As a member of this important committee, I want to know your ideas for ending the scourge of drunk driving in Wisconsin. While I personally believe we need to put more of our focus on repeat and excessively drunk drivers, your thoughts and input will be helpful in all areas. While our state government has tried many different approaches to this problem in the past, we are in need of fresh ideas and a new way of looking at the issue, and that is where your input is so important.
As always, it has been a pleasure communicating with you and I look forward to receiving your thoughts. Please remember to communicate with me and share your input by calling 888-295-8750, writing to me at P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882, or by e-mailing me at Sen.Leibham@legis.wi.gov. You can also log on to the 9th Senate District on-line office at www.leibhamsenate.com.
It is an honor representing the residents of the 9th District in the State Senate!