S.C. bill proposes harsher penalties for multiple DUI offenders

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina State Senator Dick Harpootlian held a news conference Thursday morning to introduce bipartisan legislation intended to hold individuals able when they’re found guilty of driving under the influence multiple times

Along with of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, Harpootlian spoke about how pervasive DUI incidents are in South Carolina.

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The state senator said South Carolina has one of the top ten highest drunk driving fatality rates in the nation. He noted nearly 2,000 multiple DUI offenders, some of whom severely injured innocent drivers, have been offered plea deals to reduce their sentences since 2020.

Harpootlian’s bill would prevent many of these plea deals.

“Keeping our communities safe is paramount,” Harpootlian said. “South Carolina should not be allowing individuals who have committed multiple DUIs to go home without help or being held appropriately able.”