Drivers Convicted Of First-Time DUI Offenses Will Soon Have To Pass A Breathalyzer Test To Start Cars
The devices also require random tests while in motion, to prevent the driver from drinking after they’ve passed the first test. Advocates for the new law say it’s a better way to keep the roads safe than taking away drivers licenses.
Capital Public Radio:
California Will Soon Require More DUI Offenders To Pass A Breathalyzer Test Before Starting Their Car
More Californians convicted of DUI offenses will be required to pass a breathalyzer test to start their vehicles under a new law going into effect Jan. 1. SB 1046 by State Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, expands a pilot program already in place in Sacramento, Alameda, Tulare and Los Angeles counties to the entire state. (Nichols, 12/20)
California Healthline:
No-Go On Drunken Driving: States Deploy Breathalyzers In Cars To Limit Road Deaths
’Tis the season to be a little too merry, and law enforcement officials across the country are once again reminding revelers not to drive if they’ve been drinking. Along with those warnings comes a bit of good news: Deaths involving drunken driving are only about half of what they were in the early 1980s, though they have ticked back up in recent years. The long-term decline is largely attributable to greater public awareness, stricter seat belt enforcement and the establishment in 2000 of a national blood-alcohol threshold of 0.08 percent — far below the 0.15 percent standard commonly used before then. (Ibarra, 12/21)