Another Fatal Traffic Crash Involving A Repeat OWI Offender

Comes the sad and infuriating news that, again, a Wisconsin motorist with a long record of drunk driving arrests and convictions has been involved in a fatal car crash, this time in Brookfield.

It has been months since the uproar caused by a triple-fatality in Waukesha County allegedly caused by a repeat offender - - Dr. Mark Benson - - who was driving on a revoked license - - yet the legislature, after some tough talk, adjourned for the campaign season without passing legislation to give prosecutors more tools to get repeat drunk drivers off the roads more quickly and effectively.

Wisconsin is at or near the top of many national indices about drinking and dangerous behaviors and outcomes, from binge drinking to drunken driving to alcohol-related diseases, yet the state's permissive drinking culture and weak political environment continually combine to keep our highways relatively unsafe.

You could spend hours Googling key words, like alcohol abuse...alcoholism...relapse...and so forth, and here is what you will find:

People clinically-definable as alcoholic, or with problems in their life caused by heavy drinking ("problem drinkers") at between 6% and 14 % of the population.

Agreement that a minority of people who need treatment for their alcohol issues get that treatment.

Agreement that alcoholism and its addictive characteristics include bouts of relapse - - that is, a return to uncontrollable drinking - - thus continuing the risk to themselves and others.

All of which means that there are a lot of impaired drivers on Wisconsin roads - - essentially in moving, dangerous weapons - - so these traffic fatalities (let's not call them "accidents") will continue to occur, until Wisconsin's legislature and Governor do two things simultaneously:

Attack the state's drinking problems with a major education and treatment effort.

Attack the weaknesses in the state's operating while impaired statutes - - which now make a first offense a mere ticket, and a fourth is still a misdemeanor - - and give prosecutors and judges more tools to seize vehicles and incarcerate repeat offenders.

Anything less keeps enabling people to drink and drive, and kill.

One side note: Charges are pending in Friday's early morning crash, and alcohol could be a factor in the behavior of both the surviving, repeat offender, and the other driver, the deceased, according to WTMJ-TV4.

New reports indicate that the deceased driver had pulled out of a Brookfield restaurant.

It will be interesting to see if any charges are brought against the restaurant, should it be determined if any drinking by the deceased driver occurred there.

There was a double-fatality this past Christmas Day in Franklin caused by a repeat offender who was served drinks at a tavern, though with apparent signs of intoxication.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney's office reviewed the case for possible charges against the tavern's personnel, but declined, citing their cooperation in the investigation against the driver, who has since pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide while under the influence.