Would harsher DUI laws deter drunken driving?
: Anchorage Press A bill before the Alaska Legislature would impose stricter penalties on drunken drivers — some of which would be applied even before the accused driver has been convicted. Rep. Mike Hawker (R-Anchorage) sponsored the bill in the wake of the fatal Seward Highway crash involving Lori Phillips, who had two previous DUI convictions, plea-bargained a third and was facing a fourth when the wreck occurred. But Rep. Max Gruenberg is skeptical that harsher penalties alone will solve the problem. “We’ve got to deal with this and not just answer in a draconian manner,” Gruenberg says. “Just passing this … will not necessarily get the person changed or into treatment, but it will make it illegal for the person to drive ever again.
