When Adam Bruzza left the jailhouse with his fourth driving under the influence charge in October 2024, he felt nothing but anger toward the Kalispell Police officer who had pulled him over.  

"I was really, really resentful. Initially after getting out of jail, I was, like, let me go. It's so close to home. How can you do this to me," he told a crowd of about 80 people gathered in an auditorium at Flathead Valley Community College for a DUI Reform Summit on Thursday. "Almost two years into sobriety, I was able to go down to the Police Department and shake his hand." 

Now, Bruzza is studying to become an addiction treatment counselor. Between college courses, he runs a free late-night shuttle service with the goal of deterring would-be drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel. 

His story was a source of both hope and vexation for many of the community members that gathered for the Sept. 3 event, which was hosted by Rep. Courtenay Sprunger, R-Kalispell. After cycling through several educational booths that aimed to demonstrate the legal processes and consequences following a DUI, participants sat down to two panels featuring local advocates, judicial experts and treatments specialists. The propensity of drunk drivers to reoffend dominated both conversations. 

"This is probably one of the most frustrating questions that we face in the judiciary from the public, is how is it that this person got to the fifth, sixth DUI," Flathead County District Court Judge Heidi Ulbricht said. "It feels like it's a failure of our entire system." 

That rings especially true in cases involving serious injuries and fatalities. A 2025 analysis by Forbes ranked Montana as the most dangerous state in the nation for drunk driving, with 7.14 fatalities per 100,000 people.   

The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration found that 38% of all traffic fatalities in the state between 2014 and 2023 were caused by alcohol-impaired drivers. More than 16% of drunk drivers involved in traffic fatalities in Montana during that time span had already been convicted of a DUI at least once. 

Several panelists proposed harsher penalties as a solution to the recidivism trend. 

In Montana, a first, second or third DUI is considered a misdemeanor offense. Possible jail sentences range from 24 hours to one year and fines vary from $600 and $10,000, depending on how many times the person has been convicted of a DUI and whether their actions resulted in any injuries or casualties. Any subsequent DUIs are charged as felonies. 

"DUI number two, right now, just looks a whole lot like DUI number one," Flathead County District Attorney Travis Ahner said. "So does DUI number three, and then all of a sudden we have this big jump on a felony for DUI number four. I think we need to bring the felony to three. I think number two needs to be where we turn up the heat." 

Ulbricht pushed for a Flathead County DUI court aimed at providing holistic case management for repeat offenders with alcohol or drug dependencies while Montana Department of Justic Assistant Attorney General Ed Hirsch heralded the values of a more visible traffic control force. 

"Here's the bad news," Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said. "The system is already stuffed." 

More convictions mean more money for courts and judges and lawyers. It means a larger incarcerated population in a state that is already shipping prisoners to far-off facilities and more hours for the police officers that investigate the cases in the first place. 

Other solutions, such as late-night shuttle services, face similar logistical and financial constraints. Both Tri-County and Cascade County tavern associations operate programs to provide local bar patrons with free sober rides home. Rep. Steve Kelly, R-Kalispell, suggested the local Mountain Climber system be utilized for a similar function. 

"There's a way to do a pattern with those to get folks home," he said. "I don't know, but it's worth having a discussion to see if there's a way we can get this going because it's a whole lot better than going to a funeral." 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.