Anheuser-Busch Praises South Carolina Governor, Legislature for Approving Underage Drinking, Drunk-Driving Prevention Bill

19/06/07 Anheuser-Busch applauded South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and the State Legislature for passing the "Prevention of Underage Drinking and Access to Alcohol Act," a new law aimed at preventing underage drinking and making it more difficult for drunk drivers to get behind the wheel.

"We commend Governor Sanford and the bill sponsors, State Senator Joel Lourie and State Representative Ted Pitts, and the legislature for taking this significant step to help fight underage drinking among South Carolina youth and to crack down on repeat drunk drivers," stated Jerry Mullane, region vice president of Government Affairs at Anheuser-Busch.

The legislation, S. 213, contains a number of provisions to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, including increased penalties for teens caught purchasing, possessing or consuming alcohol and adults caught providing alcohol to minors. Penalties include graduated fines of up to $500, imprisonment for up to 30 days and drivers license suspension for up to one year.

"This law will help complement and reinforce the positive trends in underage-drinking prevention in recent years," Mullane noted. "According to the federal government's most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 86 percent of South Carolina adolescents, ages 12 to 17, are doing the right thing by not drinking."

In addition, to help address drunk driving, the law mandates the use of ignition interlocks for repeat drunk-driving offenders. Anheuser-Busch supports mandatory use of interlocks as an effective part of a comprehensive sanctioning and intervention plan for those offenders with repeat DWI convictions.

"In the past 25 years, drunk-driving declines in South Carolina have not kept pace with the national average," Mullane added. "However, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data, we have seen declines since 2000, and this new law will help continue this progress by helping keep repeat offenders off the road." Research from the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) has shown these repeat offenders slip through the cracks of the criminal justice system and continue to drive drunk.