A new bill enacted by the Missouri state legislature increases and standardizes punishments on repeat and severe offenses of driving while intoxicated.

House Bill 1695 passed unanimously in the General Assembly before Governor Jay Nixon signed it into law early this summer. It went into effect on August 28.

The legislation primarily targets those with prior convictions and those with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above 0.15 percent. It marks a substantial step toward safer roads for college students and other drivers by keeping violators convicted of driving while intoxicated (DWI) off the roads.

Washington University police chief Don Strom says that drunk driving is not a huge issue on campus, but that does not negate the importance of this legislation statewide.

“While we do not make very many arrests for DWI on campus, driving while intoxicated is still a severe problem in our country and region,” Strom said. “The consequences are too often tragic for the drivers, their passengers and innocent persons they may collide with. This law is an important step in ensuring DWI drivers are held accountable.”

The bill changes driving with a BAC of .15 or higher from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class A misdemeanor, which will judges to sentence first-time offenders to up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. This moves cases from local courts to state courts, where penalties and sentences are much more severe.

Other parts of the bill remove loopholes from the previous system. In the past, a prior DWI offense could be expunged from one’s record while another DWI charge was pending. It is now much easier for prosecutors to take past infractions into account, so that those who are caught repeatedly can be sentenced more harshly.

All DWI offenses must now be reported to a newly created statewide database in order to ensure that all offenders are duly prosecuted.

One of the bill’s primary sponsors, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), sees the bill as a step in the right direction but not drastic enough. Their goal is for all convicted DWI offenders to have their cars wired with interlock systems, where they would have to blow into a breathalyzer in order to start their cars.

According to Meghan Carter, executive director of the MADD Gateway chapter, the problem is much more severe than drivers making one-time errors.

“Statistics show that when they talk about these first-time offenders, it’s not their first time…it’s their first time caught,” Carter said.

MADD statistics reveal that on average, violators have driven under the influence 87 times before their first time caught. The organization sees the bill as significant, because it makes it more difficult for drunk drivers to avoid punishment.

Although driving while intoxicated is less discussed than other major crimes, alcohol-related car accidents cause thousands of fatalities in the United States every year, many at universities where alcohol is prevalent.

However, while DWI is a relentless issue in most colleges across the country, many Washington University students find it easy to abstain. John Stanley, a senior, says that this is because there are several ways to return to one’s dorm without driving, especially considering that many students don’t have cars on campus.

Rather than paying $459 for a year-long parking permit, Stanley chooses to put aside money for cab rides. Other students also remark how easy it is to avoid drunk driving by using public transportation, or to stay within walking distance of home while drinking.

“Being here and not having a car…drunk driving as an issue doesn’t come up,” Stanley said.