"I never thought it would happen," said Richard Morsilli, who fought for the law after his 13-year-old son, Todd, was killed by a drunk driver 20 years ago. "I've been here testifying for so many years."

Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch applauded the passage of the new law, calling it "a giant leap toward restoring a reputation that we have earned but definitely do not want -- having the nation's highest percentage of total highway fatalities involving alcohol, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration."

If the state failed to enact a lower blood-alcohol level, it would have lost at least $17 million in federal transportation funds for not complying with the national standard.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Your Turn! Post a public comment (guidelines):

Name:
Comment: (limit 200 words)
Enter this word (help):	Change

GUIDELINES:
Comments are meant for thoughtful public discussion of the article published above. Therefore:

1. Keep it clean, courteous, focused, and on-topic.
   
   
2. Do not post personal requests for help (see resources).
   
   
3. Proof your comments carefully for spelling and punctuation, and don't use ALL CAPS. Comments are published immediately and cannot be edited.
   
   
4. Deceptive, slanderous and commercially-motivated comments are prohibited.
   

We reserve the right to remove comments not conforming to these guidelines. (Report a comment).

Have questions or feedback? Contact us.