South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford had already used part of his State of the State address to urge state lawmakers to pass a tougher DUI law. Now, he's turned to the Internet video site YouTube to try to get state senators to take action.
He has posted a video (www.youtube.com/governorsanford) that includes statistics on DUI deaths in the state, such as "About one third of all drivers arrested for DUI are repeat offenders" and "About 40% of DUI offenders in SC plead guilty to lesser offenses."
But the power of the video comes not from the numbers, but from the fact that it focuses on five-year-old Sullivan Spradley, who was killed by a drunken driver in 2005. Sullivan was riding his bicycle with his father when he was hit.
His mother, Tonya, appears in the video. "This was not this offender's first time. He was a repeat offender," she says. "I encourage you to call your legislator and ask them, encourage them to strengthen the DUI laws in South Carolina."
A tougher DUI bill has passed in the House and is now in a Senate subcommittee chaired by Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg. He says the subcommittee will work on the bill Thursday, with hopes of having the full committee take it up next week.
"I think that many of the concerns that were raised that people have framed as loopholes (in the current law) are going to be addressed," he says.
He had not seen the video.
The governor's spokesman, Joel Sawyer, explained in a written statement why the governor had turned to YouTube.
"The purpose of the video is to help make real to people the tragedy of having such weak DUI laws in our state. Almost one person a day dies on our roads in alcohol-related fatalities. The video is about showing that this issue isn't just about statistics - it's about saving lives," Sawyer said.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement