Senator Bob Onder Proposes Updating Driving While Intoxicated Laws
JEFFERSON CITY – Senator Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, presented legislation that would redefine impaired driving in the state of Missouri.
Senate Bill 710 expands what are commonly called driving while intoxicated offenses and changes the offense to “driving with prohibited blood alcohol or drug content.” This bill would expand the definition of the crime to include not only drunk driving, but also operating a vehicle with any amount of controlled substance or other drugs in their system, such as opiates, marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and other illegal drugs. This would provide a more comprehensive framework to prosecute those who drive impaired from any number of controlled substances.
Colorado has seen a sharp increase in the number of motor vehicle accidents involving drivers under the influence of marijuana since it was legalized in 2012. Colorado’s data indicates that drivers involved in fatal accidents who tested positive for marijuana increased more than 140%, from 47 deaths in 2013 to 155 deaths in 2016. Even this number may dramatically underestimate the problem, since about 40% of fatally injured drivers are tested for drugs.
“Our current laws are outdated and haven’t kept up with the changing dynamic of substance abuse,” said Sen. Onder. “It doesn’t matter whether they are high or drunk, when someone who is impaired gets behind the wheel of a car, he poses a serious threat to the safety of others and should face the consequences. This bill gives law enforcement and others the tools they need to prosecute those who would recklessly endanger the lives of others on the road because of their substance use.”
Senate Bill 710 was heard before the Missouri Senate’s Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.
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