States Encouraged to Mull South Dakota Sobriety Program

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A sobriety program aimed at curbing drunken driving that was pioneered in South Dakota has made it onto the federal stage as a provision tucked into the $305 billion transportation law President Barack Obama has signed.

The practice offers those accused or convicted of an alcohol-related crime an alternative to jail. The 24-7 provision in the highway law creates an incentive grant totaling about $18 million over four years for states.

An independent study released in 2013 by a nonprofit think tank found that South Dakota's program cut the rate of repeat DUI arrests at the county level by 12 percent and domestic violence offenses by 9 percent in its first five years.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says South Dakota's "very positive" results warrant examination for the state.

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