Prosecution and sentencing practices that do no let drunken drivers slip through the system unpunished and untreated. Sanctions that prevent further DWIs by limiting hard-core offenders' ability to drink and drive. No place has completely solved the repeat DWI problem, said Ralph Blackman, president of the Century Council. But some states and cities have made more progress than others with a variety of solutions, he said. Nine states limit prosecutors' ability to plea bargain drunken-driving charges down to offenses such as careless or reckless driving.
Critics say that essentially deceives the next judge who encounters a drunken driver.
Less mentioned as a specific tool against repeat drunken driving, but gaining in popularity nevertheless, is lowering the legal threshold for DWI to a 0.08 blood-alcohol percentage. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia, and several nations abroad, have adopted the lower limit, citing research on when drivers become impaired. A bill to reduce the threshold is alive, but just barely, in the Minnesota Legislature. Of all the get-tough solutions, few are as widely touted as making some level of repeat DWI into a felony, punishable with extended prison time. The National Traffic Law Center, a research organization for prosecutors, says 38 states have felony DWI laws on their books.