Between Worlds, by Bill Richardson: on Drugs

Pushed "War on DWI"--you drink, you drive, you lose

When I took office, drunken driving in NM had reached epidemic proportions. Our rate of DWI arrests was running 50% above the national average. DWI was the leading cause of death & injury among New Mexicans 44-years old & younger, and the estimated cost in medical bills, higher insurance rates, and other expenses topped $1 billion per year.

We now have one of the best programs in the country. We started with stiffer laws for repeat offenders--an additional four years added to a drunk driver's sentence for each prior conviction. Before, jail time was not mandatory for DWI offenders who violated the terms of their probation; it is now. We also cracked down on repeat offenders in other ways, lowering the DWI blood alcohol limit from .8 to .6 and making participation in a treatment program mandatory. We set up a hotline to report suspicious driving and created a radio/TV advertising campaign that featured me hammering home the anti-DWI point in six words: "You drink, you drive, you lose." No exceptions.

Source: Between Worlds, by Bill Richardson, p.323-325 Nov 3, 2005

*The above quotations are from Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life, by Bill Richardson, with Michael Ruby.* Click here for definitions & background information on Drugs. Click here for more quotes by Bill Richardson on Drugs.
*2008 Presidential contenders on Drugs:*
*Republicans:* Chmn.John Cox Mayor Rudy Giuliani Gov.Mike Huckabee Rep.Duncan Hunter Sen.John McCain Rep.Ron Paul Gov.Mitt Romney Sen.Fred Thompson	*Democrats:* Sen.Hillary Clinton Sen.John Edwards Sen.Mike Gravel Rep.Dennis Kucinich Sen.Barack Obama	*Third Parties:* Green: Rep.Cynthia McKinney Socialist: Brian Moore Independent: Mayor Mike Bloomberg
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