Drunk Driving DUI Law

A new statute that boosts penalties for drunken drivers will fix a “gaping loophole” in Oklahoma law and make roads safer for children, authorities said Thursday.

Senate Bill 1138 allows prosecutors to file felony child-endangerment charges against intoxicated motorists who have children in their vehicles.

Police, prosecutors and the local branch of Mothers Against Drunk Driving lauded the bill during a mid-afternoon news conference at the 41st Street Plaza on Riverside Drive. Efforts to bolster the Oklahoma alcohol-related laws were made for years.

The measure also adds penalties for parents who let their children ride with drunken drivers and allows minors to be taken into protective custody when a parent is arrested for drunken driving.

Plans to cope with the influx have been made, and emergency shelters will put a priority on returning children to other family members before sending them to the Department of Human Services, he said.

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