Menu Close Menu

Washington lawmaker focused on preventing DUI deaths

Posted by Steve Karimi | Jun 19, 2014 | 0 Comments

A fatal drunk driving accident on March 25 really hit home for Rep. Roger Goodman. An alleged repeat drunk driving offender was involved in a wreck that took the lives of two while detrimentally injuring two others. The tragedy allowed Goodman to point out that while tougher DUI laws are helping curb the number of alcohol related traffic deaths in the state, in his mind, current statutes don't go far enough.

The state legislator has fought hard over the past few years to get tougher sanctions placed on those who drive under the influence, and this is especially true for repeat offenders. One such law is a recent piece of legislation, passed in 2012, that made the possible penalty for alcohol-related vehicular homicide a stint of 20 years behind bars. This is what the aforementioned alleged drunk driver faces if convicted.

Though these laws handle intoxicated drivers after the fact, Goodman is looking for what he sees as a more proactive approach. He's pressing not only for a third DUI in ten years to be considered a felony, but also for laws that would allow random sobriety checkpoints throughout the state. Washington State's Supreme Court has said that a whole new law would need to be passed for these random checkpoints to be legal.

Driving under the influence is considered a serious crime in Washington, and if politicians like Rep. Goodman are successful, the penalties for a DUI conviction will become much more strict. It's important for people to know, however, that a DUI arrest isn't an automatic conviction. Police officers and the devices used for testing DUI are both fallible, so a criminal defense attorney might be able to have DUI charges of any magnitude reduced or dropped altogether.

Source: MYNorthwest.com, "Lawmaker keeps pushing new DUI measures to curb deaths," Josh Kerns, April 2, 2013

About the Author

Steve Karimi

Steve Karimi attended Pepperdine University School of Law. After graduation he worked as a prosecutor in Seattle where he gained valuable insight to the criminal justice system. Attorney Karimi uses his experiences as a prosecutor everyday only now he fights for the justice of those accused.

Comments

There are no comments for this post. Be the first and Add your Comment below.

Leave a Comment

Contact Us

If you were arrested or a loved one has been charged with a crime in Seattle or surrounding areas of Washington State, the Law Offices of Steve Karimi can help. Call 206-660-6200 24 hours a day for a free consultation.

Seattle Defense Lawyer

Named a "rising star" in criminal defense by Washington Law and Politics magazine, Mr. Karimi is a former prosecutor for King County who uses his insight into prosecution strategies to protect his clients' rights in criminal court.