Washington House Democrats

Statement by Rep. Pat Lantz on today's public hearing of HB 2771:  Creating an administrative sobriety checkpoint program

January 30, 2008

"Today we heard compelling testimony from people whose lives have been tragically affected by drunk drivers on Washington's roads.  We also heard from members of the law enforcement community and other government agencies who presented the latest statistics on drunk driving fatalities in our state.  Driver impairment is the number one factor contributing to fatal crashes in Washington state, yet 92% of those convicted of DUIs have no prior convictions.  Sobriety checkpoints could prevent 50 drunk driving-related deaths per year.  That's 50 fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters.  I believe there is growing support for giving law enforcement one more tool to fight this scourge on our roads, and I am optimistic the members of the Judiciary committee will vote yes on this bill next week."