« 300,000 Repeat DUI Offenders? Time to Act

September 25, 2009

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The figures have clearly shown that no doubt, California has a major drunken driving problem. Up till now, more than 300,000 drivers in the state have had three or more DUI convictions, whereas more than 40,000 have had five.

dui california

The numbers are truly devastating. In 2007, drunk drivers in California were involved in 53,261 accidents that killed about1,501 Californians, not to mention the endless injuries.

According to the Assemblyman Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, the huge numbers can be reduced by installing ignition interlock devices on vehicles that are owned or operated by people convicted of drunken driving. This way, the car won’t start until the driver blows into the device and is found to be clear.

Feuer’s bill, AB91, should be signed by the Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, which will grant the permission to set up a pilot program in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Tulare counties to test the system.

There are seven other states (Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia) that are currently using this system and the results are quite encouraging. For example, in New Mexico, the law has helped reduce the number of repeat offenders by 60 percent and the number of alcohol-related deaths by 35 percent.

Although the critics claim that the costs of the system are too high, but Feuer’s legislation has considerable bipartisan support, and won’t cost the state a dime. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will finance the equipment. Other costs will be covered by the fees that will be charged to offenders.