NYS' new stricter drinking and driving law has been in effect for about a year now and already more than 600 people have been convicted of felonies. Under Leandra's law anyone caught driving drunk with a child in the car is automatically charged with a felony - not a misdemeanor or a violation. The driver involved in the original accident - in which Leandra was killed and several other children injured - is now serving a sentence of 4 to 12 years in state prison.

So - if driving through New York - be VERY careful - police are enforcing this law in the strictest possible way.

I would think that advice should be for people driving anywhere, not just New York!

Of course the advice is good anywhere. the difference is that this is an automatic felony - as in prison time - not just having your license suspended as happens in many places (and which many people ignore).

Texas is a felony too - if you are drunk and have passengers 14 and under in the car.

And many of the states that do not make it a felony when children are in the car do make it a felony to cause injury while DUI.