MADD Responds to New DUI Reform

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is very excited that Pennsylvania has lowered the legal Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level from .10 to .08 for Pennsylvania motorists. This is not a simple "across the board" .08 bill, but rather a unique comprehensive DUI Reform Bill which addresses many areas that MADD feels need strong attention.

This bill has a three tiered sentencing component beginning at .08 upward to higher BAC levels and subsequent DUI arrests. With each increase of the BAC and number of arrests, the sanctions also increase. Those repeat offenders resistive to change, will be punished.

For the .08 driver, this bill gives the opportunity to change. It offers the opportunity for assessment and Drug & Alcohol treatment if deemed necessary. This bill also addresses the deadly "high risk" driver, which is a driver with a very high BAC, a repeat offender, a driver who is driving on a suspended license, or a combination of all three.

This bill has a strong treatment component. MADD feels strongly about treatment being a part of sentencing. Assessment and treatment are a part of each sentencing category. A person involved in a successful recovery program is no longer a drunk driver.

This bill will save lives in Pennsylvania and MADD is very grateful and supportive of this live-saving initiative. Among the other states that now have a basic .08 BAC law, an average 8% decrease in the number of alcohol-related fatalities has occurred (Source: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation). Pennsylvania is the fourth worst state in the Nation for alcohol-related fatalities. Of the 656 people killed in 2002 on Pennsylvania highways, this law could have resulted in as many as 53 lives saved. An easy visualization of this figure would be the entire player roster for the Pittsburgh Steelers or Philadelphia Eagles. With the innovative tiered structure of Pennsylvania's Comprehensive DUI reform, MADD is hopeful that figure could go even higher over time.