R.I. Enacts .08 Drunk-Driving Standard July 7, 2003
News Summary
The twelfth time was the charm in Rhode Island, where lawmakers passed and the governor signed into law a bill that makes it a criminal offense to drive with a .08 percent or higher blood-alcohol level, the Providence Journal reported July 3."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: