The safe operation of heavy equipment in public requires that the operator have full use of their senses and judgment. Drinking and driving is wrong, at any level.
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It's NOT acceptable to drink and drive.......period.

i know the costs. ive been arrested for drunk driving 3 times and convicted twice. to cry the first time drunk driver at .08 is being crucified is laughable. ITS NOT EVEN A CRIME. financially it IS costly the first time. it SHOULD be costly the first time. costly enough to remind you not to do it again. the second time make it a crime. if you STILL cant figure out that you have a problem you NEED to be crucified and labeled a felon for a 3rd one.

I just don't understand this concept of risking the safety of people and property because some feel that driving after a few beers is acceptable. Is it honestly a cultural factor or selfishness bordering on stupidity or possibly a combination of both?

ummmm kid, yes I did read the story. A breathalyzer reading of a .08 can be the equivalent to as little as 2 to 3 beers. After getting pulled over and passing all of the field sobriety tests, a person can still be arrested for DUI. The results of this can cost thousands when you factor in fines, attorney expenses and increases in insurance costs. All for being less impaired than most people who are completely distracted by driving when talking on their cell phone(which what fine does that carry by the way?) So yes, while I wasn't being literal with my reference, figuratively speaking it is definitely the case........

Make the second OWI the felony if you get caught more than once you are a problem

ummmm 916WI....how do you think that we 'crucify someone who stops for a couple of beers on their way home from work'. did you read the story?? first offense isnt even a crime. first offense is the guy that 'stops for a couple of beers on their way home from work'. if thats ALL your drinking and driving consists of you should be smart enough to stop before you get to the crucification point. if you dont stop, you are more of a problem drinker than the guy who stops for a couple after work. you have to get caught doing that 4 or 5 times before its a felony even. hardly crucifying.

This change will be as effective as the "War on Drugs" in this country. USELESS.
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If people want to drink - which is legal, people will still get arrested for OWI/DUI. Change the laws all you want. The laws are NOT a deterrent.

Napalm- I believe the age is so that minors who may not have a "choice" to get in the vehicle (parent, relative)..Meaning they can`t make a correct decision for them selves.. I think the age should be higher..

Wow! This just goes to show how brilliant Wisconsin lawmakers are when coming up with suggestions to curb drunk driving laws. (rolls eyes)

I really can't believe they say this is tougher.I believe that a person that has been caught more than 2 times should be treated as a felon. If, you are a repeat offender then you are going to continue doing it and the sooner we can get them off of the roads the fewer people will lose their lives because of someone else's stupidity. This giving someone 4-5 chances before treating them as a felon is bogus. Do you allow your children to continue doing wrong 4-5 times before you decide it is time to punish them. Probably not so why would we let someone in a vehicle that kills continue to drive and take that chance of killing an innocent person. And we do need to crack down on people texting while driving. That is just as bad. Let's make our laws tougher and inforce them and I am sure we will see a huge decline in drinking and driving.

+1 fly--I am 100% in agreement with you. I have never had any issues with a "drunk" running me off the road. Cell phone users are a different story though--they almost put me in the ditch twice, but apparently reckless driving such as this is acceptable to our state legislature. That's fine that they choose to penalize drinking/driving with a minor in the car, but let's do something to crack down on the other reckless driving activity before we continue to crucify someone who stops for a couple of beers on their was home from work. It is unfortunate that the tavern league couldn't lobby to have the BAC raised back up to a .10 for a DUI arrest--.08 is too low........

I think there should be a law against the 16 yr old texters drivin down the road steering with there knee no hands on the wheel and not lookin at the road......sooo tired of hearing about DUI laws, ive almost been side swiped on my motorcycle 3 times this summer cause lil sally dont own a blue tooth phone (hands free)....the laws are sooo tight now you cant have a beer and drive home....

Why bother making new laws? Just enforce existing laws.
If a driver is caught drunk, count the number people between the arrest location and their home. That is how many counts of reckless endangerment they should be charged with.

Voters...in all 50 states...have short memories.

The politicians know that and bank on it....who's the dummy?

This was a political move, so when election time comes around, we can hear about how candidate X toughened up Wisconsin's OWI laws. That is like me doing one push up today, and two tomorrow; I can tell people I doubled my workout. What is the purpose of a law if it doesn't work until it is too late. What if every other offense on the books wasn't taken seriously until the 4th offense. If I am not mistaken, the new law is only a felony on the fourth offense if it has been less than five years since your previous conviction. What a major let down, the state couldn't even make a fourth OWI conviction a mandatory felony under ANY circumstance. When the senate majority leader is a convicted drunk driver, you might live in Wisconsin. If a Representative can be arrested three times for OWI and cast the deciding vote for the state budget, you might live in Wisconsin. I would love to be a Representative just so I could ask the legislators who won't support safer restrictions. Seriously?

Unfortunately in this case, drastic change does not happen overnight. I hope this needed change is a just a step in the right direction.

And We pay these Guys . I agree after the first you get 4 - 5 more before its a felony ............ STUPID !!!

i was as big of a doubter as anyone that they could come up with a plan to curb drunk driving in this state. wow. a 4th offense is now a felony...in some cases. whew. nice work.