Drunk Driving DUI Law

The Gazette State Bureau wrote in mid-December about DUI problems in Montana and how the situation might be addressed with new laws. Greater penalties are the most commonly discussed solution as the Montana Interim Legislative Law and Justice Committee studies the problem. But that solution will only continue to grow the corrections budget. The solution [...]

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MISSOULA – A Missoula city councilman says he plans to present an ordinance that would require suspected drunken drivers who refuse a breath or blood test to pay at least a $300 fine.
Dave Strohmaier said he will propose the ordinance during a Public Safety and Health Committee meeting on Feb. 17 as a way to [...]

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In the near half-century that Win Smith has been a Rotarian, he’s always been most proud of that organization’s willingness to take the lead on issues important to the community.
And now Smith hopes the club is willing to take on another major challenge.
Smith presided over a packed house at the weekly Hamilton Rotary meeting as [...]

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A city attorney in Missoula is requesting that all DUI trials be held before a jury in an attempt to get stiffer sentences.
Jim Nugent recently made the request amid concerns some people accused of drunken driving were waiving their right to a jury trial in hopes of getting a lighter sentence from a judge.
And prosecutor [...]

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You see it almost every day, in just about any newspaper, on just about any television news station. A man or woman charged with their seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th or more offense for driving under the influence of alcohol. There’s no doubt recurring DUIs and the many unfortunate deaths they cause are plaguing communities across [...]

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Montana has more fatal DUI’s per capita than any other state in the nation. And authorities say that is because penalties for DUI’s are too weak.
Matt Anderson spends his days cooking at the Great Falls Pre- Release Center. But not by choice. He’s doing time for his 4th DUI. Anderson says, “I was at my [...]

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The Montana Legislature’s Law and Justice Interim Committee will spend the next 18 months focusing on Montana DUI laws and storage of DNA evidence, said Rep. Shannon Augare, its new chairman.
The Montana DUI study request asks committee members to examine the strengths and weaknesses of Montana’s laws and to compare those laws to other states. [...]

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BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Miss Montana Jennifer Hepner has been charged with driving under the influence and has been suspended from her duties with the pageant.
The 23-year-old University of Montana graduate student had been pulled over Jan. 3 and refused to submit to alcohol screening, breath or blood tests. Her license was seized and suspended.
The [...]

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The Missoula Police Department, working with the Montana Highway Patrol, will conduct a DUI saturation patrol Friday through Sunday in an effort to combat impaired driving.
The patrol will begin Friday afternoon and conclude Sunday morning.
The emphasis will be to reduce or eliminate DUI-related injury crashes throughout the area.
The MHP will be assisting with extra patrols [...]

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Montana DUI law provides that everyone who drives a vehicle in Montana has impliedly consented to a test of his or her blood or breath to determine alcohol content if they are arrested for Montana DUI.
Unlike most other states, Montana DUI law also provides that everyone who drives in Montana has impliedly consented to give [...]

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