Sen. Charles Fuschillo (R-Merrick) pushed for a new law Tuesday that would help prosecutors put drunk drivers behind bars.

Fuschillo called for the creation of an "aggravated vehicular homicide" charge to be used while prosecuting fatal DWI crashes. The charge would be more severe than vehicular manslaughter, but less difficult to prove than depraved indifference murder.

"When you drive a car drunk, that car essentially becomes a weapon," Fuschillo said.

If passed by the Legislature, aggravated vehicular homicide would call for five to 25 years in prison. It would apply to a driver in a fatal accident who had a blood alcohol level of .18 or higher. The suspect would also need to have a DWI conviction within the past 10 years, or have been driving with a suspended or revoked license.

Fuschillo's proposal comes on the heels of the depraved indifference murder conviction of Martin Heidgen. Heidgen was found guilty of driving drunk on the wrong side of the Meadowbrook Parkway in 2005 and killing two people. Heidgen is the first person on Long Island to be convicted of murder in connection with a drunk-driving crash. Related Information: MADD MADD Programs SADD DEDICATEDD