MT, SC, and LA Lead States in Alcohol-Related Traffic Deaths

Alexandria, LA, Daily Town Talk ^ | 12-19-02 | AP

[Theodore R.]

BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana is again a national leader in alcohol-related traffic deaths, no surprise for a state that just will not get tough enough on drunks, according to anti-drinking activists.

In a report released Wednesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Louisiana ranked only below Montana and South Carolina in the rate of people killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents per 100 million miles driven.

[Theodore R.]

Is there a correlation between degree of punishment for DWI and the rate of occurrence? If degree of punishment is a factor, TX would lead the nation, for it has some of the most lenient DWI laws.

[lawdude]

Let's see. A chap named Champagne is head of the safety commission against drinking. Hmmm.

Irony Alert!

[lawdude]

I was in a meeting with the head of the Arizona MADD chapter. I was trying to get legislation that would increase the criminal punishment for DUI but relax the drvers license penalty so first time offenders would not be so likely to lose their jobs.

Ms. MADD told the State senator that as far as she was concerned, DUI "criminals" should be put to death even though they caused no harm, no damage, no nothing.

Radical knothead.

The Senator backed down in a NY minute. End of rational legislation. Now, in Arizona, when one gets a first DUI, he/she loses their DL for at least 1 month.

In Arizona, that is the kiss of death for a large percentage of workers. Now, when one loses a job, is society better off? NO. Are there better forms of punishment? YES.

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