
This week’s poll focuses on exploring the best ways to handle high-risk DUI offenders. As detailed in our recent story, the Target Zero DUI Treatment Court is one of the intensive therapy programs designed to address the root causes of dangerous driving behaviors. However, there are other methods to consider, such as increased jail time and fines or mandatory ignition interlock devices to prevent repeat offenses. Some believe that a combination of therapy and traditional penalties might be the most effective solution. We want to hear your thoughts—cast your vote and let us know what you think could best reduce DUI incidents and make our roads safer!
Read more about these approaches in the two-part story here:
Target Zero: DUI Treatment Court provides intense therapy for high-risk offenders
Clark County's DUI Treatment Court offers intensive therapy to high-risk offenders.
Read more
Vancouver man turns his life around, with help from DUI Treatment Court
Vancouver man Mack White turns his life around through Clark County's DUI Treatment Court.
Read more
Also read:
- Opinion: Transit agencies need accountability not increased state subsidyCharles Prestrud argues that Washington transit agencies face rising costs and declining ridership due to governance structures that lack public accountability.
- Letter: ‘For years, American foreign policy too often felt like a blank check’Vancouver resident Peter Bracchi argues that the 2025 National Security Strategy marks a long-overdue shift toward clearer priorities, shared responsibility, and interest-based American leadership.
- POLL: Are you better off than you were a year ago?This week’s poll asks readers to reflect on their personal financial situation and whether they feel better off than they were a year ago as economic conditions continue to shift.
- Opinion: Does tailgating cause speeding?Target Zero Manager Doug Dahl examines whether tailgating contributes to speeding and explains why following too closely increases crash risk with little benefit.
- Opinion: ‘The Democrats’ part of the bargain’Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance reflects on a New Year’s Eve encounter and a Bill Maher commentary to assess what he sees as cultural and political changes from the past year.








The more options the better. Jail and taking their money ( payments go to about 8 different places )and jail is not the only answer . Most are not caught and some just seem to have no luck . They can only change when wanting to and some seeing these types of options may find the will to reach out when they didn’t think it was possible. So much money is made off alcohol especially by the state and feds by the sale AND punishment related to alcohol they need to use that money for alcohol related issues . Free / reduced rides or tows is just 1 thing that would save lives
Actually, the ways to deal with DUI are rather simple:
The responsibility for DUI begins and ends with the driver. If a DUI driver kills or seriously injures/cripples innocent victims?
Life in prison. No parole/probation.
Knowing these are the penalties for ANY DUI conviction would sharply reduce DUI, and end any ambivalence on the part of drivers: “Did I drink too much to drive?”
Drinking and driving at all is automatically too much.
We either want to end this problem or we don’t.
And that philosophy could be applied to any criminal issue confronting us: Use a weapon in a crime, gun, knife, baseball bat?
Life in prison. No parole/probation.
We need to make the illegal use of weapons so expensive in terms of prison time to the offender that they’d never think of using a weapon illegally for any purpose.
Illegal drugs?
Anyone involved in the manufacture, importation or distribution of any illegal drug?
Life in prison. No parole/probation.
200,000 deaths attributed to fentanyl over the past two years. The outrage that SHOULD be evident is strangely muted. Locking people up for life that have imported or manufactured the tools for those deaths should be job one.
Illegal aliens?
Immediate deportation. End the illegal alien destination resort we’ve built here that brings them here by the millions. If they want to appeal deportation, they may, from outside the US.
Any illegal is automatically banned from legal residence or citizenship, ever.
Illegals are to be denied ownership of property, businesses, and/or licenses.
Illegal alien criminals serve their sentences in prisons and then are immediately deported.
Proof of citizenship or legal status needs to be required to attend schools at any level, or to get medical assistance, save to make the patient stable and then deport them.
End the bastardization of the 14th Amendment which was never meant to confer automatic citizenship to illegal aliens of the children they deliberately come here to have.
We take expensive, time-consuming and by no means guaranteed efforts to stop DUI’s. PSA’s abound about drinking and driving… but we effectively say it’s OK to drink, just don’t drink too much.
I’m pretty sure that idea is small comfort to the dead and crippled that result from such a wink, wink; nod, nod concept.
As a nation, we either want to end these issues or, at least, dramatically curtail them or we don’t.
We keep doing the same things, over and over, achieving the same dismal results.
It’s long since passed time to do something that will work. Doing the same things, over and over, while expecting a different outcome is insane.
How much longer do we put up with it?
When is enough, enough?