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Montana's alcohol fatality rate is more than double the national average, and coupled with increasing pressure from Montana's DUI Task Force, some state legislators are discussing possible changes to current DUI laws.

The Montana Highway Patrol is working with the Law & Justice Committee of the Montana Legislature to study the state's DUI laws, and on Monday, they spent time "dosing" five volunteers with varying amounts of alcohol and conducting field sobriety tests in front of committee members.

One of the volunteers, who asked to remain anonymous, consumed eight shots of rum in two hours; her blood-alcohol level reached .086, just above the legal limit for a DUI.

She said, "I would not have any control over a vehicle, any more than I have control over my arms and legs right now...I have to hold onto someone to walk to the bathroom."

Another participant noted, "The room is spinning a little bit and I'm not in control, I really am not."

Michael Tooley, Chief of Montana Highway Patrol, explained, "We want to help them make a difference in our DUI situation in the state of Montana. We are consistently worst in the nation or close to worst in the nation as far as DUI-related fatality crashes."

The committee also toured the Mobile Impaired Driving Assessment Center, which allows an officer to conduct field sobriety tests in a safe and controlled environment.

Law & Justice Committee Chair Shannon Augare says he is committed to changing the culture of drinking here in Montana, noting, "I am not sure that legislators, whether you're Democrat or Republican, have yet to agree on including penalties in any sort of legislative agenda. We are committed to really enhancing current DUI laws.

Although the parties may not yet agree on how to enhance DUI laws, they do agree something must change in order to make Montana's roads safer.