Adinolfi: Enhance DUI Penalties in Cases Involving Children

In 2009, Cheshire State Rep. Al Adinolfi was horrified to learn that an 11-year-old girl was killed when the car she was in rolled over while being operated by a drunken driver. Incidents like this were becoming all too common, Adinolfi said, and something had to be done to protect children across the state and nation.

Now he is pushing Connecticut legislators "to do what is right" and approve a bill that would enhance penalties for drunk drivers who are getting behind the wheel and putting children in harm’s way.

The new legislation, which received unanimous support from the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, would enhance punishment for those driving drunk with children under 16-years-old in the car by making such DUIs a Class D felony that would be punishable with a one to five year prison sentence.

“Children are particularly vulnerable in these situations because they’re unable to either refuse to get into a car or effectively judge whether the driver is fit to sit behind the steering wheel,” Adinolfi said. “If you put a kid in harm’s way you should face the music, and it should be a much louder tune.”

Adinolfi’s legislative push was inspired by an 11-year-old killed in New York in 2009 when the vehicle she was in—operated by a woman deemed under the influence—rolled over on a highway.

Connecticut news media has since reported an uptick in inebriated adults driving with kids in the vehicle, including a case in New London where a woman was allegedly five times the legal limit, said Bryan Sundie, press secretary for Adinolfi.

“Current state regulations allow investigators to apply separate yet generic child endangerment-style charges in these cases for added impact, but Adinolfi contends those secondary charges are often eliminated in the plea bargain process. His proposal would create a tougher judicial posture for the state through specificity,” Sundie said.

The proposal would also enhance penalties in situations where an under-the-influence driver with a child in the vehicle causes either injury or death.

The bill is now eligible for consideration by the full House of Representatives and will be deliberated for a vote over the next couple months.

Is it time to enhance drunk driving laws to further protect children? Should the laws be extended to include any drivers with a passenger, regardless of age? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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