For 14 years, Illinois has been cracking down on drunken driving.
From the 1986 introduction of automatic license suspensions for drivers who
refuse or fail chemical testing, to the lowering of the legal level of
intoxication and increased penalties for those convicted, eliminating DUI
has become a priority for law enforcement.
But going alcohol-free has not yet become a priority for many drivers.
In 1998, the most recent year for which figures are available, police
throughout the state arrested close to 50,000 people and charged them with
driving under the influence of alcohol.
So in the face of the state's tough legal consequences, why is drunken
driving still so pervasive?
Part of the answer might rest with human nature - the tendency to believe
the other guy is the one with the drinking problem.
"Everyone says yay for tougher laws because they are thinking about the
heavily intoxicated driver who is a menace to society," Wheaton attorney Don
Ramsell said. "Then they get arrested, come into my office and wonder why
there is not some sort of an exemption for them."
Approximately 20 percent of the people arrested for DUI have had a prior
offense, according to the secretary of state's office. Lake County circuit
court Judge Raymond McKoski said that reflects a sad side of human nature.
"I think the legislature has responded appropriately to the problem, but
there are some people who just will not change," McKoski said. "The main
problem with those people is their addiction to alcohol, and that addiction
affects their relationship with every part of society."
McKoski said court systems are now empowered to offer more help to problem
drinkers than ever.
"We can send chronic drunken drivers to treatment programs while we keep
them in jail to ensure there is adequate monitoring," he said. "But even
with all the re-sources available to us, we are not going to reach all
people."
Waukegan attorney Charles Smith sees DUI cases from both sides of the
courtroom - as a village prosecutor for 10 communities including Mettawa,
Mundelein and Libertyville, and as a defense attorney on cases outside the
jurisdictions where he serves as prosecutor.
Smith said he is uncertain that new or tougher laws will do much to combat
DUI.
"As a general rule, I do not see the law as a very effective tool for
addressing social problems," Smith said. "It is like we are saying: 'As soon
as the lawyers solve the problem of DUI, we will turn them loose on cancer
and AIDS.'"
Smith sees another important contrast.
"On the one hand, we can look at the death rates and other indicators and
ask, 'Is it getting any better out there,' and the answer is yes," he said.
"Then you look at the increasing arrests and ask, 'Do people still believe
they have a right to drink and drive,' and the answer is yes."
