New Tennessee law requires drunk drivers who kill parents to pay for child support

By Alma Fabiani

Published Jan 9, 2023 at 02:47 PM

Reading time: 1 minute

39904

Drinking and driving kills 28 people a day in the US— about one person every 52 minutes—according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That is more than 10,000 lives lost each year solely as a result of drunk driving.

Among the many lives that are taken every day due to these heartbreaking acts of carelessness are daughters, sons, other relatives… and parents. Up until now, those responsible for killing a minor’s legal guardians were exempt from paying any type of child support restitutions in the country—but one specific state is about to change that.

As of 1 January 2023, Tennessee became the first state in the US to charge drunk (DUI) drivers who cause a parent fatality child support for their victims’ surviving children. This new piece of anti-drunk driving legislation is also currently being considered nationwide.

Known as ‘Ethan, Hailey and Bentley’s Law’, it was named after three children who recently lost their parents due to a DUI. Tennessee’s governor Bill Lee signed the bill into law during the spring of 2022, however it didn’t take effect until the first day of 2023.

From now on, anyone convicted of vehicular homicide or aggravated vehicular homicide in the state will be required to pay child support until the victim’s kids are 18 years old. Tennessee courts will determine the amount of child support on a case-by-case basis, depending on the circumstances surrounding the child’s living guardians.

Meanwhile in the country, similar bills are being considered in multiple states including Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. In New York and Missouri, killing people because of one’s bad decision might be just as painful as Tennessee’s new law.

The bill is supported by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and was strongly advocated for by tenacious Missouri grandmother Cecilia Williams, who is raising two of her grandchildren after her son, his partner and their four-month-old baby were killed in a drunk driving crash.

It’s unclear just yet how these latest measures will impact the worrying number of drunk driving fatalities in the US, however, we can only hope they’ll force people to think twice before getting behind the wheel intoxicated.

Keep On Reading

By Abby Amoakuh

Holly Scarfone reveals Scott Disick allegedly pressured her to get a boob job and BBL

By Charlie Sawyer

Why Sabrina Carpenter’s sexuality is praised and Lola Young’s is picked apart

By Abby Amoakuh

New video game that allows men to r*pe female family members triggers backlash amid incel concerns

By Charlie Sawyer

Disturbing signs reading HELP in Los Angeles go viral on X. What do we know so far?

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

P&O Cruises under fire after staff caught on film wearing KKK-like costumes at Christmas party

By Abby Amoakuh

Why is Heidi Montag’s song I’ll Do It trending on TikTok? Inside the plot to get The Hills star back to the top

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Could you go an entire year without spending money? Unpacking TikTok’s No Buy 2025 movement

By Charlie Sawyer

Are digital ghosts and deepfakes of the dead threatening the way we grieve?

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Australian erotic novelist charged with child abuse material offenses after backlash over latest book

By Abby Amoakuh

Sydney Sweeney calls wedding off and consciously uncouples from fiancé Jonathan Davino

By Abby Amoakuh

White Lotus star called out for tone deaf comments about double standards with male and female nude scenes

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Elon Musk’s grandfather’s far-right ties: Exploring the roots of the billionaire’s radical beliefs

By Charlie Sawyer

Father of former Harry Potter star gives serious warning to the new child stars in HBO Max reboot

By Eliza Frost

Kylie Jenner now follows Timothée Chalamet on Instagram, but he doesn’t follow her back

By Charlie Sawyer

Cher Lloyd reveals she was told to seduce Justin Bieber when she was a teen

By Charlie Sawyer

Here’s why Coca Cola is the most boycotted brand on the planet

By Charlie Sawyer

22-year-old groom arrested after police find 9-year-old bride at staged Disneyland wedding

By Abby Amoakuh

Lewis Hamilton and Sharon Stone support Millie Bobby Brown after she calls out disgusting media misogyny

By Eliza Frost

Hailey Bieber’s new hands-free lip tint holder has everyone divided 

By Charlie Sawyer

A plea for help: Everything you need to know about Wendy Williams’ conservatorship