Drunk Driving DUI Law

People caught driving drunk just once could be forced to install breath-alcohol monitoring devices in their cars, as Kentucky lawmakers consider toughening the state’s DUI laws. House lawmakers are considering proposals aimed at increasing the use of ignition locks, which require people to prove they’re not drunk by blowing into a device before starting their vehicles. Another plan would also decrease the current blood-alcohol level that triggers an aggravating factor in DUI sentencing. “The problem is we’ve got people that are driving 100 times before they even get caught drinking and driving,” state Rep. Dennis Keene, a Democrat from Wilder, said. “A lot of these people re-offend and this would curtail them from using their car while they’re out drinking and driving. There’s a tremendous call for this.”

Advocates have been pushing for tougher DUI laws across the country. Recently, that push has included widening the use of ignition locks for people with one conviction for driving drunk. Nationally, states have different levels of use for the breath-monitoring devices. They’re imposed on motorists ranging from people getting driving drunk their first time to hard-core multiple offenders.

This year five states – Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska and Washington – began requiring first-time drunken drivers to install the gadgets on their cars. Repeat offenders in South Carolina, meanwhile, were also required to use the devices if they want to keep driving. Arizona, Louisiana and New Mexico have similar laws on the books.

Kentucky is one of 11 states currently considering such legislation, according to the Washington-based American Beverage Institute, which represents restaurants and retailers. Kentucky judges have already had the authority to impose the devices – which also require periodic tests while the vehicle is in use – on people who get caught driving drunk more than once.

Keene’s proposal would require it. And for more people.

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