DUI? 5 Year Sentence - Rocky Mountain News Editorial

As introduced, House Bill 1189, by Rep. Joel Judd, D-Denver, would have made Colorado's penalties against drunken driving the toughest in the nation. First-time offenders would lose their licenses for at least five years, and multiple offenders for 20 - unless they satisified other requirements we'll discuss later.

We're open to the suggestion that the state's penalties against impaired drivers are too lenient. But as originally envisioned, HB 1189 was simply too harsh.

Increases the driver's license revocation period for first-time
DUI/DUI per se violators after July 1, 2007, to 5 years.
Increases the driver's license revocation period for multiple DUI/DUI per se violators who commit a second or subsequent violation after July 1, 2007, to 20 years. (Bill Language)

Fortunately, Judd has had second thoughts and plans to ease some of the penalties before the bill is heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

No law can totally eradicate drunken driving. If criminal penalties against driving while intoxicated are too severe, motorists who are caught will simply drive without a license. Even with current penalties, federal officials report that 60 percent to 80 percent of drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked keep getting behind the wheel. Rocky Editorial