Missouri reforms DWI laws to crack down on repeat offenders
Gov. Jay Nixon signed into law a reform of the state's DWI laws that aim to be stricter on repeat offenders and limit the number of serious Missouri car accidents caused by drunk drivers.
Some of the key components of the new bill are:
-Cases involving repeat offenders must be moved from a municipal court to a state court, where the penalties are tougher.
-All law enforcement agencies across the state must participate in a DWI reporting policy to better track the number of drunk driving wrecks across the state.
-All municipal court judges must complete a course focused on drunk driving laws.
-Special DWI courts will be created specifically for driver's who plead guilty and new penalties for drivers with a blood alcohol content of .15 or above.
Aside from those main changes, several procedural changes to how DWI cases are handled will be enacted as well. For instance, the law closes a loophole that allowed DWI offenders to have prior offenses expunged.
The bill comes after Gov. Nixon held a summit of state officials to come up with a plan to reduce drunk driving accident injuries in Missouri.
According to nationwide data, Missouri ranks in the bottom half of all states in terms of the number of drunk driving accidents and the percent of fatalities involving a drunk driver.
