Chicago DUI lawyer says it appears the" Scarlet Letter" DUI Plates are not reducing DUI arrests

Previously, I posted on a pending bill in Tennesse to have DUI offenders purchase special DUI plates. Perhaps Tennesse heard of the failure of these special DUI plates in Ohio and has tabled the bill.

June 19, Akron, OH

When it comes to combating drunk driving, Ohio leads the league in crackpot ideas.

One of our most recent legislative brainstorms — special license plates for convicted drivers — has been a total bust.

Since the law was changed in 2004, Ohio has issued 46,627 ''restricted plates.''

In Summit County alone, 2,949 individuals and/or families have been sentenced to drive around with the distinctive yellow-and-red plates, the modern equivalent of The Scarlet Letter.

If these plates were working — if the drinking populace is cowering at the notion of having to adorn its vehicles with these things — we would have experienced a significant drop in alcohol-related traffic fatalities.

Nope.

If you compare the last year without special plates, 2003, to the most recent year for which statistics are available, 2007, you find that, while Ohio's overall crash rate has plummeted, the number of alcohol-related fatalities hasincreased.

• Total crashes of all types: down 16 percent.

• Fatal alcohol-related crashes: up 2 percent.

• Alcohol-related fatalities per 1,000 total crashes: up 21 percent.

Here's further evidence the plates are not having the intended impact: In some circles, especially among younger folks, restricted plates are referred to as ''party plates.'' So much for social ostracism.

Currently, only one other state, Minnesota, offers specialized DUI plates. Let's hope this failure prevents other states from implementing such antiquated forms of punishment.