New York, NY —

Governor Paterson wants to make it a felony to drive drunk with children in the car. His bill comes after a wrong way crash in Westchester County that killed eight people, including four children. Karen DeWitt reports.

REPORTER: Governor Paterson says the new legislation would stiffen penalties for driving while drunk or legally impaired when a child under the age of 16 is in the car.

PATERSON: Anyone who is found to be operating a vehicle and is intoxicated or impaired with a child in the car will no longer just be charged with a misdemeanour. This case will not be distributed as if it were just a vehicular violation. From now on, this will be a felony.]

REPORTER: In the Taconic crash, the driver Diane Schuler whose blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit was killed along with one of her children and her 3 nieces. A father, an adult son and a family friend in another car also died.