Our Opinion: Bill focuses on human toll of drunk driving

We encourage everyone who cares about the human toll of drunk driving to support "Toby's Law" when it is introduced in the upcoming legislative session.

State Rep. Mike Kelley, R-Lamar, has pre-filed a bill to require people convicted of driving under the influence to participate in and pay for a mandatory, court-approved Victim Impact Panel.

Although Kelley is the sponsor, he credits his assistant, Johana Olsen-Henry, who was traveling with her family when their vehicle was hit by a drunk driver in 2007.

Olsen-Henry, then 14, and her father, Eric Olsen, suffered serious injuries, but survived. Two other family members did not. Killed in the wreck were Henry's mother, Jean, and her 17-year-old brother, Tobias, the namesake of "Toby's Law."

A virtue of the proposal is it compels an offender to face the potential human consequences of drunk driving. We favor the bill's emphasis that participation in a Victim Impact Panel be in person, although we understand the provision that permits video participation when necessary.

The legislation focuses on the human cost as a deterrent, but it also serves as a reminder of the monetary cost of a drunk driving conviction.

The Missouri Highway Patrol estimates the total cost of a DWI conviction at about $3,000. That sum includes: towing, bondsman, attorney fees, court fines and costs; participation in the Substance Abuse Traffic Offender Program (SATOP); insurance; and driver's license reinstatement.

Not included is the cost of an ignition interlock, if required. MADD estimates that cost to range from $70 to $150 for installation and between $60 and $80 per month for device monitoring.

Olsen-Henry said the cost of attending a Victim Impact Panel will add $30 to $50 to the total tab.

Drunk driving is illegal, both for the social drinker who has one too many at a restaurant and for the alcoholic who routinely drinks and drives. Both are dangerously impaired when they get behind the wheel, and both invite consequences up to and including taking a human life.

"Toby's Law" would serve as a vivid reminder that drunk driving is deadly.