DUI Suspect Crashes Into Judge Who Once Showed Him Mercy

What are the odds of slamming your car, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, into the car of the very judge who spared you jail time for an earlier DUI conviction? Probably quite slim, but the Chicago Tribune reported on a Maryland man who hit the jackpot.

The 45-year-old Rockville, Maryland man was not named in the article. Retired former Montgomery County District Judge Collier and wife Ellen Collier were injured when the suspect crashed into them in August.

In a strange coincidence, Judge Collier presided over the same suspect's 1998 DUI case. In that incident, the man pleaded guilty after police found him behind the wheel of his idling car while drunk in a parking lot.

But even though the man had been arrested for drunk driving twice in three months and faced jail time, the judge spared him. Think Judge Collier has any regrets?

Dealing with repeat offenders is no easy task, particularly when one considers some sobering statistics provided by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. While 50 to 75 percent of drunk drivers continue to drive after their licenses are suspended, those arrested on DUI charges for the first time have driven drunk an average of 87 times before being arrested.

One solution that Illinois instituted in 2009 is the breath alcohol ignition interlock device (BAIID) program, explained in a FindLaw article. First-time DUI offenders who wish to drive may opt to have a BAIID device installed on their vehicle, which requires the driver to blow into a breathalyzer apparatus and prove their sobriety before the car will start.

It's difficult to know for sure if the law is effective, however DUI-related Illinois traffic fatalities fell by about 25 percent in the first year the law was enacted, according to a press release published at Earth Times.

Ask a Chicago DUI lawyer about the BAIID program if you've pleaded guilty to (or have been found guilty of) a DUI. For more general information, please visit our Related Resources.

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