There are many things that can make the roadways more dangerous. These things range from poor weather conditions to distracted driving activities. One thing that can especially make driving more dangerous is driving under the influence. Because driving under the influence is a serious problem across the United States, including Wisconsin, Wisconsin lawmakers recently passed a new law which will change the current driving under the influence laws.
Recently, the Wisconsin Governor signed a law which will permanently revoke a person’s driver’s license upon conviction of four or more drunk driving related offenses. Under this law the fourth conviction must occur within 15 years of the previous drunk driving related conviction for the individual’s license to be permanently revoked. The drunk driving related offenses that are included under the new law are Operating While Intoxicated (OWI), homicide by OWI, homicide by negligent operation of a motor vehicle as well as any felony crime under the motor vehicle code. If a person loses their license and is then caught driving a motor vehicle they will face a $2500 fine and up to a year in jail for the offense. It is not retroactive, meaning that people who already have four drunk driving related convictions will not lose their license, unless they are convicted of another drunk driving related offense. If a person has three OWI related offenses before the law and is convicted of another after the passage, they will have their license revoked.
Wisconsin hopes that the new law will help to deter people from drinking and driving. Drinking and driving should always be avoided. It severely increases the chances of being involved in an automobile accident, which can cause serious injuries to both driver of the vehicle, passengers and other people on the roadways. If you plan on drinking, you should always have a plan beforehand as to how you will get home that does not involve you getting behind the wheel. By never drinking and driving, we can make the roadways safer for everyone.