Palm Trees

California Bill Would Require Ignition Interlock Devices for Convicted Drunk Drivers

 A bill passed by the Legislature would require convicted drunken drivers in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Alameda, and Tulare counties to install ignition interlock devices on their cars. Drivers would blow into a device that would unlock the ignition only if it doesn’t detect a certain amount of alcohol.

If approved by Governor Schwarzenegger, the bill would establish a pilot ignition interlock program from 2010 to 2016. The governor has not yet taken a position on the bill, a spokesman said today.

To start a car, a driver has to blow into a breath-test device on the steering wheel that is linked to the vehicle's ignition system. If the driver's blood-alcohol level is above the legal limit of 0.08 percent, the car won't start. The systems are paid for by convicted drunken drivers. The bill is supported by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the California Highway Patrol, and AAA.

In California, law enforcement officers made 203,866 DUI arrests in 2007. Drivers in the four counties accounted for about 40 percent of those arrests, according to MADD.

As of now, courts have the discretion but are not mandated to require the installation of ignition interlock devices for first-time and repeat DUI offenders. Under the bill, the interlock device replaces a restricted license, which would still allow a person to drive drunk, said Assemblyman Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, the bill's sponsor.

"Since we have the technology that can help prevent drivers from getting behind the wheel after drinking, we should be using it," Feuer said. "Not only would this legislation help reduce the likelihood that innocent people will be harmed by drunk drivers, it also promotes sober driving habits."

The American Beverage Institute, which represents more than 700 California restaurants, does not support the bill, claiming the state cannot afford to enforce the program. They say the program would overwhelm state parole agents and local probation officers.

"This proposal ignores the root cause of today's drunk-driving problem—hard-core alcohol abusers," said institute spokeswoman Sarah Longwell. "The California Legislature is poised to pass an unfunded mandate that targets the wrong people."