While recent DUI laws are helping to crack down on drivers under the influence, Wyoming laws could be achieving more when it comes to preventing drunk driving from occurring in the first place.
Federal data shows alcohol-related crashes make up more than 65 percent of traffic deaths in Wyoming.
New DUI laws include a 2012 amendment changing the possible sentence from two years to seven for fourth time offenders, a new definition for a “chemical test,” a change in the years between connected offenses, and the controversial 2011 bill allowing police to get warrants from judges over the telephone for DUI testing on suspected drunk drivers.
This law was implemented to crack down on repeat offenders of drunk driving who had once been able to refuse drug and alcohol tests to evade punishments.
There is an extremely prominent repeat offender problem in Wyoming.
There have been many alarming stories in the news lately regarding drunk driving. Steven VenJohn, for example, who pled guilty to his first felony DUI after his sixth DUI arrest since 2008; Tracy Matekovic, who killed a person in a drunken car crash after receiving three DUIS in the past; and Lawrence Martinez, who /drove over an 11-year-old boy on a scooter, after drinking excessively.
How many more innocent people have to be hurt in drunk-driving incidents to warrant stronger laws?
These “accidents” were all preventable, but irresponsibility on the offender’s part, and too-lenient laws in Wyoming did not stop them from occurring.
While DUI penalties are severe, they usually do not deter people from driving while intoxicated because drunk drivers often have an “I won’t get caught” mentality. They tend not to take the severity of a potential punishment into account.
Giving drunk drivers time in prison overburdens existing resources and will not “cure” an alcoholic, since repeat DUI offenders are most often serious alcoholics.
This is why we need to take more steps to make preventative measures against drunk drivers before they get caught or injure and kill themselves and others. There are many preventative strategies to consider.
A good place to start, particularly in Laramie, is to prohibit drive-up alcohol sales. Drive-up liquor stores promote the idea of buying alcohol and driving a vehicle.
While this practice is not dangerous for responsible consumers, it is certainly a risk to have such a high number of drive-up liquor stores in a college town like Laramie.
Making it a crime for anyone to contribute to these felons could help lower the risk of offenders drinking and driving again. For example, it would be illegal to give a habitual DUI offender alcohol, sell or lend them a car.
Confiscating or issuing special license plates for convicted drunk drivers is a way to discourage offenders from drunk driving in the future due to a raised possibility of being pulled over by police.
The best way shown to prevent repeat criminals from driving under the influence is requiring first-time DUI offenders to have an interlock device installed in their vehicles.
Currently, the law requires interlock devices for two-time offenders and first-time offenders with a blood alcohol level of 0.15. Why shouldn’t we treat all people who have been convicted of driving under the influence to have interlock devices in their vehicles?
These devices require drivers to take a Breathalyzer test before the vehicle can be operated. This would deter offenders from driving drunk again and encourage them to find a sober ride.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, interlock devices reduce drunk driving by 67 percent, which is much more effective than merely suspending an offender’s license.
Member of the Wyoming House of Representatives, Keith Gingery, R–Jackson, said there is a possibility the legislature would consider a new interlock law as soon as next year. This would be an enormous victory for the reduction of drunk drivers re-offending in Wyoming.
Wyoming has come very far in the last few years on working on new alcohol and traffic-related policies and laws, but there is still a lot of work to be done to prevent drunk driving in Wyoming.
