U.S. weak on drunk driving, but California does better than most states, MADD says

By Lori Porter Acorn Staff Writer

A nationwide organization is lobbying for tougher drunk driving laws.

Over the Labor Day Weekend in areas served by Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, there were 18 accidents and four arrests for drunk driving vs. last year’s 13 mishaps and three DUI arrests.

The California Highway Patrol’s California Law Enforcement Challenge program started its "You Drink and Drive—You Lose" campaign to encourage sober motoring and reduce impaired driving and fatalities.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) wants a .08 blood alcohol count as the national standard to reduce alcohol-related fatal accidents to no more than 11,000 nationwide by 2005. Last year, there were 17,419 U.S. deaths and 1,612 in California that were directly related to drivers who were drunk or on drugs. About 40 percent of fatal accidents were alcohol-related in California.

MADD conducted a "Rating the States Report" and assigned letter grades to evaluate all 50 states on their efforts to stop drunk driving and reduce underage drinking.

No state earned an A and for the first time ever, many states actually got an F.

MADD awarded no As because not a single state showed a decline in alcohol-related fatalities.

"We are grading the states and the nation with a different eye now," said MADD vice-president of public policy Carol McNamee. "If we’re not showing progress, how can we give As?"

California actually got the highest score in the nation, a B+. Evaluations were based on activities of state political leaders regarding laws and enforcement. According to Ron Miller, program director at MADD California in Sacramento, MADD also looks at each state’s blood alcohol limit. Scores go up if the state sets tougher penalties for violations and offers programs that assist victims of drunk driving.

While much of California might be doing well, L.A. County isn’t known for setting aggressive penalties for DUI (driving under the influence).

The DUI penalty for first-time offenders is 36 months of probation with all fines, including probation, criminal surcharge and court fees, totaling around $1,412. There’s usually no jail sentence because the night spent in jail after the arrest is considered adequate in Los Angeles County.

For second-time offenders, a jail sentence of up to about one year can be imposed, but in L.A. County the incarceration is usually cut to less than six months because of overcrowded jails.

However, if you get arrested for DUI in Ventura County, look out. Ventura County is much tougher than its neighboring county to the east and reduced sentences are less likely because Ventura County jails aren’t full.

Many sobriety checkpoints were set up around L.A. County over the Labor Day Weekend but this area had none, due to state budget cuts and the desire to maximize units on patrol.

"We can’t afford to do sobriety point checks," said Detective Hugh Wahler of Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. During a checkpoint last week in Malibu, deputies arrested only two motorists for drunk driving between 9 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.

But no matter what county you’re arrested in, you’ll always be sentenced to attend a drunk driving school program that includes a mandate to attend a series of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Wahler believes L.A. County is too lenient toward drunk drivers and said he gets angry at judges who reduce sentences for those convicted of two or more prior DUIs. Those motorists, Wahler said, should be locked up long enough to make them permanently quit drinking.

With holidays approaching, residents should remember designated driver campaigns and help reduce drunk driving fatalities.

For more information on MADD and to find out how what you could do to fight drunk driving, please visit www.madd.org.