Every year, families across Washington are torn apart by impaired driving. Every DUI statistic is a grieving parent, a child growing up without a mother or father, a survivor facing years of rehabilitation, or a family drowning in medical debt and funeral costs.

Washington must establish DUI Victim Endowment Fund — a permanent, state-managed fund financed through civil penalties imposed on DUI offenders and a modest public safety assessment attached to traffic citations. The intention of this fund is to increase accountability for impaired driving while creating a sustainable financial framework dedicated exclusively to helping victims and their families rebuild their lives.

In addition to existing criminal fines and penalties, individuals convicted of driving under the influence would pay a separate civil accountability assessment. A first-time DUI offense would carry a $2,500 civil penalty, with escalating amounts for repeat offenses and substantially higher penalties for cases involving serious injury or death. Additionally, Washington would impose a $3 public safety levy on all issued traffic citations statewide, with revenues dedicated directly to the endowment.

These funds would be deposited into a permanently invested endowment overseen by the State Treasurer and managed by the State Investment Board.

The result would be a long-term funding mechanism capable of generating annual investment returns that support victim assistance programs for decades to come.

Depending on annual enforcement activity, a $3 assessment could conservatively generate between approximately $2 million and $4 million per year in recurring revenue for the endowment. Combined with DUI civil accountability assessments, annual deposits into the fund could reasonably reach between $8 and $15 million.

The consequences of impaired driving often extend beyond the criminal sentence imposed in court. Victims may require years of physical therapy, trauma counseling, or medical treatment. Families could lose a primary wage earner overnight. Children who lose parents to DUI crashes frequently face financial instability and emotional struggle for life.

A dedicated endowment would provide a stable source of aid for:

• Trauma counseling and mental health services,

• Medical rehabilitation,

• Funeral and burial expenses,

• Scholarships for children of deceased victims,

• Legal advocacy services,

• Emergency financial assistance, and

• Impaired-driving prevention programs,

• Grants to advocacy and support groups and agencies.

The proposal is designed to complement, not replace, Washington’s existing criminal justice framework. The civil penalties and citation levy would be remedial rather than punitive, aimed specifically at addressing the societal and financial harms caused by impaired driving. Courts could retain discretion to approve installment payment plans for individuals facing financial hardship, while preserving accountability for offenders.

When personal conduct causes profound and often irreparable public harm, accountability should extend beyond incarceration and temporary fines. Washington already recognizes this concept in other contexts through victim compensation systems and restitution programs. A DUI endowment fund would build on that foundation by creating a self-sustaining source of support financed directly by those whose actions create the harm and by modest public safety assessments tied to roadway enforcement.

The state cannot undo the devastation caused by impaired driving. But together, we can ensure that victims and their families are not left to carry the financial and emotional burden alone.