Taimoor Rana is seasoned criminal defense attorney specializing in DUI related cases. He shares his expert legal opinion here « Ignition Interlock Bill in Kentucky
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- On Tuesday, a House committee has passed a bill for DUI conviction. According to that bill the DUI convicted people might have to pass a Breathalyzer test each time they start their vehicle.
This House Bill 58 will allow the judge to order for a breath alcohol-monitoring device for a person’s first DUI conviction. This ignition interlock device requires a person to go under a breath test before starting the vehicle; if the person will be too dunk to drive then the car will not start.
Democratic Rep. Dennis who had sponsored this bill told that the person who will be charged for this penalty would pay $2 to $3 a day for the device and that can continue for up to a year.
Keene said that he is sponsoring this bill because his daughter was injured by a drunk driver in 2002 and she have to go under three operations. He said that cost is not the issue if they can buy liquor then $3 a day is nothing, its almost equal to the cost of a beer in a bar.
The House Appropriations and Revenue Committee approve the bill 22-0, now this bill be presented in the full House for consideration.
Though there is already law for suspension of driving license for drunk driving in Kentucky, but supporters of this bill that is not enough to stop drunk driving.
Angela Criswell of Mothers Against Drunk Driving said that 50 to 70 percent DUI convicted drivers whose driving licenses are suspended still continue to drive.
Keene said that most of people who were convicted first time for DUI were not the social drinkers that drink too much on a wedding. Most of them had driven drunk 80 times before being arrested.
Criswell told that these ignition interlock devices are having anti-circumvention measures, which will make it hard for someone else than the driver to blow into the device.
Same law was approved several years ago in New Mexico and it resulted 65% drop in DUI-related offenses and 35% decrease in DUI fatalities.
The House passed similar law last year but it died in its last few days of the legislative session because of time restrictions. Keene told that the support for bill is enough to let is passed by the House and the Senate.
Keene admitted that his brother works for the interlock device provider company, but he said that he doesn’t believe that is a conflict of interest.
He said that if the bill will be passed then there will be more companies who will offer the device, he added that its like that if I was a real estate agent and I voted for a bill that helped all real estate agents.
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