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Article published Mar 17, 2003
Senate DUI bill needs more teeth on the enforcement side

Senators are doing well to lower the state's standard for driving under the influence, but they should be willing to take the licenses of motorists who do drive drunk.
The state Senate is considering a bill that would lower the standard at which someone is presumed to be driving under the influence. That standard would be lowered to .08 percent from .10 percent blood-alcohol level.
But another provision of state law dealing with drunken driving would be loosened. Under current law, the state immediately suspends the driver's license of anyone caught driving with a blood-alcohol level of .15 percent. The bill would eliminate this administrative license revocation.
That's a poor decision. The top priority of the state's DUI laws should be to keep drunken drivers off the roads so they don't endanger other motorists. One of the best ways to do that is to take the licenses of those who have shown a willingness to drink and drive.
But senators are still angry at Congress for forcing the state to change its law. The state must change the DUI standard from .10 to .08 this year, or it will lose millions in federal highway funds.
This is wrong, and it is unconstitutional, but the state has lost that battle and should give in to the mandate from Washington.
The federal law also mandates that if a state has a provision for administrative license revocation, the blood-alcohol level for that also must be changed to .08 percent.
Senators are unwilling to do that, so they are killing the administrative license revocation altogether.
It's a worthless tactic. With one hand, they tighten the drunken driving law. With the other, they loosen it.
Senators should stop worrying about their struggle with Washington. They should focus on what happens on South Carolina's roads.
When someone is arrested for driving under the influence, and a blood-alcohol test shows that they were under the influence, should they be allowed to keep their driver's license? Clearly, the answer is no.
Senators should acknowledge that fact as well as their responsibility to enhance safety on the state's highways and change the bill to restore administrative license revocation.