"To understand why so many people are once again dying in fatal DUI crashes, CalMatters reviewed vehicular manslaughter and homicide cases filed all around California from 2019 through early 2024. We also examined other states' laws on intoxicated driving and sifted through decades of state and federal traffic safety data. The records reveal a state that too often fails to differentiate between drivers who made a dangerous mistake but learn from it and those who refuse to stop endangering lives."
"California has some of the weakest DUI laws in the country, allowing repeat drunk and drugged drivers to stay on the road with little punishment. Here, drivers generally can't be charged with a felony until their fourth DUI within 10 years, unless they injure someone. In some states, a second DUI can be a felony. Missed opportunities to prevent tragedies haunt the loved ones of the dead."
Alcohol-related roadway deaths in California rose more than 50% over the past decade, an increase more than twice the national rise. Felony DUI charges generally require a fourth offense within ten years unless someone is injured, allowing many repeat drunk or drugged drivers to remain on the road. Cases filed for vehicular manslaughter and homicide from 2019 through early 2024, comparative laws, and traffic safety data show missed opportunities to stop dangerous repeat offenders. Drivers routinely accumulate multiple DUI convictions — some reach double-digit offenses — and families say earlier, lighter punishments failed to prevent later fatal crashes.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
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