NH Law Allowing Tougher Sentences For Repeat Drunk Drivers Takes Effect January 1

CONCORD, N.H. (CBS/AP) -- Starting January 1, New Hampshire judges will be allowed to give longer prison sentences to repeat drunken drivers who kill or cause harm to others under a new law named for a Concord man who died in 2018.

Tyler Shaw was 20 when a repeat drunken driver sped off an exit on I-89 South, went through a stop sign and hit Shaw's truck, killing him.

Under the new law, someone with one previous drunken driving conviction that causes a crash that kills or seriously injures another person can be sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. Those with two or more previous convictions can be sentenced to 15 to 30 years.

The driver who killed Shaw was sentenced to six to 12 years in prison. The crash marked his third arrest for driving while intoxicated.

Shaw's mother, Beth, said her experience with the criminal justice system showed her how broken it is.

"I could not walk away without trying to make a change to honor Tyler and all the families who have lost loved ones to drunk driving," she said at a bill signing in August, according to The Concord Monitor.

"The loss of Tyler's life exposed a significant gap in the law. The punishment for repeat offenders did not match the severity of the crimes committed by individuals like the one that took him from this earth," Rep. Daryl Abbas, R-Salem, said in a statement earlier this year. "HB179, otherwise known as Tyler Shaw's law, will better reflect the justice needed for such a crime and act as a deterrent for people thinking of getting behind the wheel while impaired."

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)