More people convicted of driving under the influence will be required to use ignition interlock devices under a new law that goes into effect Friday.
The new law, passed last year with wide support, requires people with a first-time DUI conviction and a blood alcohol content of at least 0.10 to use the devices for at least a year. Supporters have said they think the new law will protect other drivers while also ensuring that people with first-time DUI convictions can drive to keep a job and meet other responsibilities.
The new law puts Pennsylvania on par with 48 other states, according to the office of state Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery, who sponsored the legislation.
“Ignition interlocks are smart on crime and proven to stop drunk-driving attempts,” Mr. Rafferty said in a statement. “With this new law, ignition interlocks will be available to more individuals and allow them to be productive members of society in a strictly-controlled environment while serving their drunk-driving sentence.”
The law easily passed the House 193-2 and the Senate 50-0 before it was signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf.
Ignition interlock devices require drivers to blow into a tube that measures the presence of alcohol. If the devices detect an unacceptable amount of alcohol, the vehicles will not start.
Pennsylvania previously only required ignition interlock devices for repeat drunken drivers.
The new law will not affect every person convicted of DUI for the first time. Some people, depending on the circumstances of their case and the desires of the people prosecuting it, could choose to enter a program called Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition. The program allows people to have their charges withdrawn if they complete certain requirements set by the court.
Accding to AAA, the new law also applies to drivers who refuse to submit to blood alcohol testing. Under the old law, a driver who refuses the test would receive between a 1-year and 18-month license suspension. With the new law, a driver who refuses to take the test will still have their license suspended, but will be eligible for an ignition interlock device after serving 6 months of that suspension.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation counted 10,256 alcohol-related crashes last year.
First Published: August 24, 2017, 9:47 p.m.
