Drunk Drivers with Child Passengers in NY to Face Stiffer Penalties

A New York Senator recently introduced two proposals for a Child Passenger Protection Act that would toughen penalties for driving under the influence with children under the age of 16 in the vehicle. First-time offenders would face felony charges, and if convicted, a minimum of 5 days of prison and 30 days of community service. Their driver’s license would be suspended for a minimum of 1 year. They would also increase penalties if the child was injured or killed – a minimum of 5 years in the later case, and a maximum of 25 years. Any driver convicted of a DWI would be required to use an ignition interlock device.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) supports the legislation that would mean New York would join 35 other states that currently have special child endangerment laws that impose higher penalties on drunk drivers who have children in the car.

“In 2007, there were 9,480 accidents related to driver intoxication in New York and 344 resulted in deaths. Nearly 200 of those killed or injured were under the age of 14. Too often, intoxicated drivers directly threaten the lives of those too young to decide whether to enter a car with an adult. To those who put our children at risk, today we say enough,” New York’s Governor Patterson said.