Wisconsin Progress Still Behind the Times

The Wall Street Journal reported today that while Wisconsin legislators are making efforts to deal with the state's anemic drunk driving laws, their progress is still well behind the rest of the states.

Wisconsin is currently the only state that treats a first offense DUI as a traffic citation, which means no real penalties are assessed until an offender happens to get busted twice. They also are one of only 10 states that do not allow sobriety checkpoints, a law enforcement tool proven to reduce fatalities by 20 percent.

Legislators are embracing ignition interlocks for all offenders. But until Wisconsin decides to make drunk driving a crime the first time, these solutions won't have the lifesaving effect experience by other states like New Mexico.