Wisconsin: 'Tougher' drunken driving law a farce

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Only in Wisconsin could lawmakers pat themselves on the back for passing a bill that leaves the state among the most lenient in the nation when it comes to drunken driving.

Truth be told, the unanimous vote Thursday in the Assembly was a resounding victory for Wisconsin's Tavern League and the makers of interlock ignition devices.

First-time drunken driving remains a traffic violation. While Wisconsin would leave North Dakota as the lone state to wait until the fifth drunken driving offense before making the charge a felony, don't get the idea Wisconsin is really

cracking down on impaired drivers: If you can manage to avoid the cops for five years after your third drunken driving offense, your fourth will still be a misdemeanor.

While the legislation takes a crack at addressing the underlying issue - Wisconsin's culture of alcohol abuse - by encouraging treatment for second- and third-time offenders, the slight ramping up of penalties is unlikely to send any real message to a state in which too many people habitually drive with blood-alcohol concentrations above the legal limit of 0.8 percent.

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Our view: 'Tougher' drunken driving law a farce