Drunk Snowmobiling the Same As Driving?

Some Wisconsin citizens are petitioning for drunk driving on a snowmobile to have the same consequences and impact on your driver’s license as regular drunk driving.

The idea is being treated cautionly by most Wisconsn legislators, but there is a real likelyhood of tougher OWI on a snowmobile laws as a result.

The initiative is a product of the high incidence of alcohol related snowmobile deaths recorded in the state. In Wisconsin, the death rate on snowmobiles is 3 times greater than than in neighboring Minnesota and Michigan. The speculation is that this statistic is related to Wisconsin’s status as the state with the highest drunk driving rates in the nation, and stricter enforcement of snowmobile operation laws and restrictions.

However, is it fair to attach driver’s license suspension penalties for operating a snowmobile under the influence? Most people think that option would take punishment too far.

But the climate for tougher OWI laws in Madison is ripe, and most expect a wide variety of proposals and laws ultimately to be enacted in the new legislative session next year.

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