When Wyoming's Legislature convenes next month, strengthening the state's drunken driving laws must be a priority.

Currently, drivers in the Cowboy State can refuse to take a breath test or chemical blood test when arrested for drunken driving.

Though drivers can accept an administrative penalty and can lose their licenses, it doesn't blemish their records as a DUI does.

Earlier this year, legislators considered bills that would have stiffened state laws in a number of ways, including making it a crime to refuse a test. Unfortunately, as in past years, legislators instead approved watered-down DUI measures, so state laws still provide too many loopholes and too few consequences for drunk drivers.

As it is, Wyoming's DUI laws are among the weakest in the nation.

One legal loophole allows drivers to use the law's ignition lock requirement as a negotiating point in some plea bargains. The device is designed to prevent DUI offenders from driving after drinking.

“There were probably several hundred first-time DUIs that would have been required to have ignition interlocks that didn't happen,” Sen. Drew Perkins, R-Casper, told the Casper Star-Tribune.

Perkins said he plans to sponsor a bill in the next session to close that and other loopholes in the law, and we hope legislators don't hesitate to make necessary changes.

Also in the upcoming session, lawmakers should again consider requiring drivers to take a test if pulled over for driving under the influence.

Too much is at stake for Wyoming to continue its leniency in DUI offenses.

Last year, alcohol was a factor in 41 percent of fatalities on Wyoming's roadways. Of the 116 fatal crashes in 2009, alcohol played a role in 55 of those deaths.

While education is an essential part of a solution, stricter enforcement and prosecution are necessary.

Yes, adults have every right to drink — but Wyoming must not continue to be lenient with those who choose to drink and then get behind the wheel.