On the scene with Patty Davis at the White House

Patty Davis

CNN correspondent Patty Davis attended the White House ceremony Monday, in which President Clinton signed tougher drunken driving legislation.

Q: Why the need for federal legislation on drunken driving when there are already similar state laws on the books?

DAVIS: The Clinton administration wanted uniform legislation all across the United States, because they say studies show the federal law could save some 500 lives every year. In 1999, almost 16,000 died in drunken driving related accidents. President Clinton said today, "How often do we get a chance to begin a good morning and a good week by saving 500 lives a year."

Critics have said this is going to penalize social drinkers, people who just have a drink or two at dinner. The president said this law actually is reasonable and, contrary to what he called "propaganda" by some, he said there's more involved here -- that lowering the limit will make Americans more responsible and make them take greater care when they drink and drive.

Q: How does the federal law differ from the state laws?

DAVIS: Currently 19 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have 0.08 as their standard. But the rest of the states don't. They have a weaker limit, a weaker blood-alcohol-content limit. Those states will be required to put in these new stricter standards of 0.08 by fiscal year 2004 (October of 2003 is actually when the fiscal year starts). If those states failed to bring their blood-alcohol-content levels up to 0.08, then those states would risk losing federal funding for their roads and bridges.

Q: How long has MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) been pushing for such legislation, and how did they react to the news there at the White House?

DAVIS: MADD has been pushing this for years. It was successful about a decade ago when it got a federal drinking age through -- 21-years-old as the legal drinking age in all 50 states. But it has been fighting this fight for years.

The president of MADD, Millie Webb, had an interesting story, which she talked about at the Rose Garden. She and her husband had a horrific car accident. They were hit by a drunk driver who was at the 0.08 level. Their 4 1/2-year-old daughter was killed, as well as their 19-month-old nephew, in the accident in Franklin, Tennessee. (Webb) was burned over 75 percent of her body. She had a broken neck and her husband was severely burned. She was seven-months pregnant at the time. Her unborn child who was later delivered is legally blind because of that accident.

Her daughter was with her at her side as she spoke to the crowd at the White House. There was a lot of hugging and cheering after President Clinton made the announcement in the Rose Garden to about 500 people, many victims of drunk-driving-related accidents and student activists.

Clinton signs tougher drunken driving law
October 23, 2000

MADD ONLINE
  •  MADD National Youth Summit to Prevent Underage Drinking
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  •  NHTSA: Injury Prevention: Impaired Driving Division
American Beverage Institute
The National Commission Against Drunk Driving
  • .08 Resource Center
Intoximeters Inc. - Alcohol Breath Test

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.