SWANTON, VT- High school graduation and prom season is coming. So is the heightened concern about teenage drinking parties and drunk driving accidents.
A strict new law, known to many as Michael's Law in recognition of a victim of drunk driving whose mother pushed the bill's passage in the Capitol, has added a new weapon of deterrence to the fight against teenage drinking parties.
"Our state policy is a comprehensive set of zero tolerance laws. There is no room for excuses," warned a key supporter of the bill, State Senator Jim Leddy (D- Chittenden).
The Legislature this year closed the circle around irresponsible adults that supply teenage parties. "We adopted a strict civil action law that ensures the victims of drunk driving accidents can hold fully accountable those that supply alcohol to teenage parties," Leddy said.
"I just hope that Michael's Law will serve as a deterrent and no other family will have to suffer as we have" said Joan Lawton, the main proponent of the new host accountability law.
"I want people to realize supplying teenagers with booze is deadly. If you supply a teen drunk driver and they hurt someone, you will pay morally and legally for the rest of your life. The victim's pain will be on your hands," she said.
Joan pushed the law in the Legislature after her son died in a drunk driving accident. The intoxicated driver was underage and had been served beer by his boss and another adult.
The stakes are high in the fights against teenage drunk driving. In 1996, Vermont led the nation in alcohol-related traffic deaths in youths ages 15-20, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. In 1998, Vermont ranked ninth highest in the nation with 20 highway teen deaths, nine of which were alcohol-related.
Existing Vermont law contains stiff criminal sanctions for minors that drink, for those that drink and drive, and for people that supply alcohol to teenage parties.
The new law, Act 116, won strong support in the Legislature and was signed by the Governor on May 18th.
