Representative Jim Ott has six bills in the Senate that he is hoping to get passed. These bills call for strengthening Wisconsin’s state laws regarding drunk drivers. One of the bills calls for a minimum of a ten-year prison term for a fatality as a result of a drunk driver. Ott says he is targeting repeat offenders who cause tragic or fatal accidents.
These bills come after the recent tragedies of two children who were killed by drunk drivers in two separate incidents. Monday was the last living day for a 10-year-old who was hit and killed while riding in a minivan by a driver who was allegedly drunk. The car accident occurred in Green County.
The second accident occurred in Kenosha County. A 20-year-old was driving a van with her five-year-old baby brother when a drunk driver slammed into their vehicle. The 5-year-old was killed, and the girl driving suffered serious injuries.
A 29-year-old man was the alleged drunk driver. After his arrest, records were found to show that the man had been arrested for his third incident of drunk driving over the summer. He also did not have a license. Outraged constituents are supporting Ott in his quest to toughen up the Wisconsin laws when it comes to operating while under the influence or OWI.
Wisconsin is not the only state where our lawmakers might want to land some tougher laws on the books when it comes to driving while intoxicated. Most states have their own version of OWI laws. Senseless accidents and fatalities occur across the nation daily from drunk drivers. Stiffer penalties may or may not deter this kind of behavior, but for the sake of our children and others on the road, steps of some kind are called for.
Source:
620wtmj.com, “Call for tougher OWI laws after two children killed by alleged drunken drivers” No Author given, Oct. 09, 2013
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