| New Law Requiring In-vehicle Breath Testers for DUI Offenders |
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On October 11, 2009 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill requiring DUI offenders to installed breath blood-alcohol breath testers (interlock devices) in their vehicles. Assembly Bill 91 creates a five-and-a-half year Department of Motor Vehicles pilot project starting in July in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Tulare counties. Convicted drunken drivers will be required to pay fees set by the DMV to cover installation — which can cost as much as $200 — and maintenance of the ignition interlock devices, which won't let a vehicle start unless the driver blows into the device's tube and has a blood-alcohol content of less than .08 percent. First-time offenders would have to use the device for five months, or one year if the DUI caused an injury; second-time offenders for one year, or two years for a DUI with injury; third-time offenders for two years, or three years for a DUI with injury; and fourth- or subsequent-time offenders for three years, or four years for a DUI with injury. More Information: http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_13545918?nclick_check=1 http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_0051-0100/ab_91_bill_20090911_enrolled.html |