Senator Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) has just introduced a bill aimed at curbing the amount of drunk driving and reducing the number of drunk driving accidents and fatalities.
The bill would require California drivers convicted of two drunk driving offenses to install and use "ignition interlock devices" on their cars for at least a year. Cars installed with these devices lock a car's ignition and prevent drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel.
The ignition interlock device connects to a car's (or truck's) ignition and requires the driver to provide a breath sample before the engine will start. If the device detects a blood alcohol content above a certain pre-set limit, then the engine will not start.
Drunk driving accidents remain one of the leading causes of serious personal injuries and deaths in California. In fact in 2009 - the year with the most recent statistics available- California drunk drivers killed more than 1,200 people and injured 26,000 others.
At a press conference introducing the bill Senator Hill commented, "It makes no sense that.. in a society, that you can have eight or nine DUIs and you can still get a valid driver's license... It's time to do something about that."
The proposed bill would require the drunk driving offender to comply with ignition interlock device calibrations every other month until full driving privileges are restored. If a driver receives a third DUI conviction, he or she would be required to use the ignition interlock device for two years. Repeat offenders with 4 or more convictions would be required to use the devices for three years.
For more information or if you or a loved one has been injured in a drunk driving accident, contact the experienced San Francisco personal injury lawyers at Bostwick & Peterson, LLP for an immediate consultation.