There is a strong drinking culture in Madison, and in a place where it can be difficult to walk a block without finding a bar, it’s no surprise that there have been several fatalities on Madison area roadways due to drunk driving. In 2009, 238 people died on Wisconsin roadways with almost another 4,000 injured. Of all fatal traffic crashes, 45 percent were alcohol related. According to a nationwide study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2004-2006, Wisconsin has the highest rate of drunken driving in the nation. Over 26 percent of Wisconsin adults who were surveyed admitted to driving under the influence.

These shameful numbers are certainly a product of the Badger state’s nearly unquenchable thirst for beer, but this side of the equation is less easily addressed than this egregious fact: Wisconsin has some of the nation’s most relaxed laws surrounding Operating While Intoxicated (OWI).

In Wisconsin it isn’t until the third arrest for an OWI that a driver is guaranteed to see jail time. Currently the legal operating limit for blood alcohol is 0.08 percent, decreased from 0.10 percent in 2003, the 43rd state to enact this limit. An average person 21 and over (160 lbs) can consume three drinks and be under the legal limit. The problem with this is that it creates a dangerous gray area where one thinks that they are capable of driving after having a few drinks. Once that person has gotten home safely after three drinks, why wouldn’t they think that next weekend they can get home safely after four drinks? The limit may deter many from having too many drinks, but it gradually bolsters others’ confidence that they are capable of driving after a night of drinking. One of Wisconsin’s few good laws regarding intoxication is that for those 16-20, the legal limit for blood alcohol is at zero percent, absolute sobriety. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, for drivers with three or more OWI convictions the blood alcohol limit is 0.02 percent.

Early on new drivers are taught the consequences of drunk driving; however, after they turn 21 it is seen as acceptable to “have a few” before getting behind the wheel. Everyone learns the consequences of drunk driving; however, so many people still make the choice to drink and drive. In a driver record snapshot taken Jan. 1, 2001, the Wisconsin DOT reported 234,826 people were arrested for driving under the influence, 34,435 of those being repeat offenders. The greatest number of arrests for a single driver was 13.

In a state where so many fatalities occur due to drunk driving, laws should be stronger for those who make the choice to drink and drive. Likewise, the community as a whole should think twice before getting behind the wheel. Calling a friend or a cab or taking the bus are great alternatives to gambling with not only the driver’s life, but also the lives of everyone else on the roadways. If more people maintained absolute sobriety while driving, countless deaths could be avoided. For the person who gets behind the wheel while intoxicated, the best result is going to jail since death, reckless homicide/manslaughter and/or lawsuits are the alternative.