The Vermont House has given preliminary approval to toughening penalties for repeat drunken drivers, and creating a new crime of letting someone use a car when the person granting permission knows the driver will be impaired.
The bill would increase the penalty for a third drunk driving offense from one year in jail to five years, if the drunken driver caused death or serious bodily injury.
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Bill Lippert, says overall drunken driving is on the decline in Vermont. But he says it’s been tougher to reduce instances of repeat drunken driving because those drivers often have an underlying alcohol addiction.