03/27/1995 02:30 PM House JUD

 HB 204 - NO DRINK BEFORE DRIVING IF UNDER 21                                
                                                                               
 Number 280                                                                    
                                                                               
 MS. KNUTH explained that this bill establishes a zero tolerance for           
 minors in Alaska drinking and then driving.  This bill is supported           
 by the United States Department of Transportation, and the National           
 Highway Safety Traffic Administration.  Other supportive groups               
 include:  The Alaska Council on the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug            
 Abuse, Alaskans for Drug-Free Youth, and several other agencies of            
 federal and state law enforcement.  Drunk driving is one of the               
 most serious offenses we have in this state, causing the greatest             
 amount of harm to people and to property.  There are some groups we           
 can target as being a particularly dangerous group.  One of those             
 target groups is juveniles who are drinking.  They do not have the            
 driving experience of other driving populations, and they do not              
 have the drinking experience either.  When the two are combined,              
 their accident rate is substantially higher than that of other                
 driver groups.  Worse than that, and more distressing, the fatality           
 rate for the accidents is much higher as well.  This law makes it             
 a violation, not a misdemeanor.  You cannot go to jail, it is just            
 a violation to be a minor and operate a vehicle after having                  
 consumed any alcohol.  It provides officers with a tool to get                
 these kids off of the road.  We are aware that in bush areas, they            
 may not have intoximeters or a station that is easy to take kids              
 to, so it parallels our DWI law that allows for a portable breath             
 test to be used in some areas if there is another responsible                 
 driver in the vehicle, and then the vehicle could be released to              
 that other person.  A person picked up on this offense should be              
 cited to a parent or other responsible adult, rather than being               
 held in jail.  The emphasis is not punitive, it is very much a                
 deterrent.                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE TOOHEY made motion to move HB 204 out of committee             
 with individual recommendations and attached fiscal notes.  Seeing            
 no objection, it was so ordered.