WSFA 12 News Montgomery, AL |Editorial: Tighten DUI Laws
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Suppose you were hit by a drunk driver and you find out it was his sixth offense in the last six years.
You could reasonably wonder why he wasn't in jail.
Under current law, he wouldn't be and that law needs to change.
Right now your first three DUI convictions are misdemeanors and a fourth is a felony punishable by a prison term.
An amendment to the law last year wiped away DUI convictions after a five year period, so you get to start over.
Ignoring previous DUI offenses after a five year period makes no sense.
Four convictions should result in a felony conviction, no matter when they happened.
It also makes sense to double fines for blood alcohol levels twice the legal limit, and suspend licenses for one year rather than three months for those offenses. It makes even more sense to do it when threatened with a two million dollar funding reduction for state troopers by the federal government for not doing it.
The Legislature didn't toughen these laws in their most recent session.
They need to this upcoming session.
They can't afford not to.
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