Drink, drive, arrest, repeat

In Minnesota, 46,748 drivers have at least 4 DWI arrests. They form a dangerous group that's hard to treat or punish. Danny Lee Bettcher was back in an Otter Tail County courtroom this month, again for driving drunk. This time, he was facing his 27th DWI conviction -- a Minnesota record.

Drunk driving with Kids in the Car: When will the Insanity Stop?

Today on my Google Alerts I received not one, not two, but THREE separate stories about recent drunk driving arrests where children were present in the offender's car:

• In the same state that experienced the horrific Taconic Parkway drunk driving crash just a few months ago, a New York man was arrested last Wednesday after Town Police said he was driving drunk with three children—ages 5, 7 and 9—in his car.
• The same news story reports that two days later, another New York man was arrested after police said he was driving drunk with his 14-year-old son and another boy in the car.
• In Minnesota, couple jailed for driving drunk with seven unbuckled kids in the backseat.

What is going on? Doesn't every child deserve a designated driver?

Repeat Offender Dad Drives Son Home Drunk from Baseball Game

According to the Minnesota Star-Tribune, a 44-year old father on probation for a previous drunk driving offense was pulled over after leaving a local ballpark with his son. Officers administered a breathalyzer test and arrested the man after he registered a .375 blood alcohol concentration for DUI and child endangerment.

I can't think of a better reason to mandate ignition interlocks than in a situation like this. Had the court given this offender an ignition interlock as a condition of his probation, he couldn't have gotten behind the wheel of his car drunk. Thankfully police officers were able to pull him over before he could kill or injure his son or someone else.

To find out more about child endangerment, read MADD's report Every Child Deserves a Designated Driver.

Minnesota State Patrol Trooper Dragged During DWI Stop

A Minnesota State Patrol trooper is recovering after a man with 10 previous drunk driving convictions put up a fight and dragged the officer after he attempted cite the suspect with DWI. Read the complete story from KAAL TV.

MADD supports law enforcement agencies nationwide in their efforts to reduce drunk driving fatalities and injuries. Unfortunately, we know too well the dangers associated with this enforcement. Visit the Officer Victim Tribute to honor those law enforcement officers killed or injured by alcohol-impaired drivers or while enforcing drunk driving laws and/or underage drinking laws.