Lawmakers plan to reintroduce two assembly bills next year, to increase penalties for OWI offenders and attempt to curb the rate of drunk driving in Wisconsin.

Assembly Bills 207 and 208 could increase penalties for drunk drivers, especially those with three or more offenses or with a blood alcohol content of 0.15 or greater.

An article on channel3000.com said an investigation conducted by WISC-TV found hundreds of thousands of people in Wisconsin have at least one drunken driving offense and many are also repeat offenders.

According to their investigation, they found 400 drunk driving crashes in Dane County, second only to Milwaukee County just two years ago. Nearly 300,000 in Wisconsin have one OWI, while more than 5,000 have four offenses, 63 have eight convictions and one has 15 convictions.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said Wisconsin has the highest drunk driving rate in the country and more than 26 percent of adults surveyed said they have driven under the influence. In 2009, 45 percent of all fatal traffic crashes in Wisconsin were alcohol-related.

Penalties for OWI offenses vary, depending on if it is a first offense or not and in Wisconsin, although a license can be revoked, there is no lifetime revocation of driver's license.

If you or your loved one has suffered serious personal injuries, or you have lost a loved one in an alcohol-related accident, you may want to seek counsel from a strong Wisconsin personal injury attorney. Call today for an immediate consultation.