Results tagged “repeat DUI” from DUI Lawyers & Attorneys News

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law a measure that requires those convicted of DUI to install an ignition interlock device in their vehicles.

When an ignition interlock device is installed in a vehicle, the driver is required to blow into the device before the car will start.  If the driver's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is above .08 percent (the legal limit in California), the vehicle will not start.

The measure will be tested on DUI offenders in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Tulare Counties before it becomes effective statewide.  The installation of the devices will be paid by the offenders, not the tax payers.

The author of the bill, Assembly member Mike Feuer (D - Los Angeles), feels strongly that the project will save hundreds of lives. Statistics have shown that repeat DUI offenses have decreased by as much as 70% in some states that require first-time DUI offenders to install a device in their vehicle.  

In 2007 alone, there were nearly 204,000 DUI arrests made in California, which averages out to 558 DUI arrests every day.  Of the 204,000 arrests, 45,149 were repeat offenders.  These drivers caused more than 53,000 traffic accidents, resulting in the death of 1,501 people.

The project takes effect on July 1, 2010 and will last until January 1, 2016. The California Department of Motor Vehicles plans to report the effectiveness of the project to the state legislature by July 1, 2015, which will then decide whether or not to expand the law to all counties.

To learn more about similar laws in your state, please click here to contact a DUI attorney near you.

A habitual DUI offender in Wisconsin has been sentenced to 5 years in prison after he was convicted of drunken driving for the 15th time.

Although 50-year-old Donald Wiessinger has nine official convictions, this is his 15th DUI conviction overall.  Wiessinger was first convicted in 1976, however, a change in state law made it so only those convictions that occurred in 1989 or later count as official convictions.

Wiessenger's newest conviction stems from an arrest that occurred in October of last year, when he led police on a chase that ended when he crashed into a tree while driving a borrowed van.

Despite the fact that a teary-eyed Wiessinger told the judge that he did not want to drink anymore, the judge enforced the sentence, refusing any more treatment programs because they clearly have not been effective.

The 5-year sentence was the most Wiessinger could have received under state law.

As a result of Wiessenger's case, Wisconsin law makers are now considering tightening the state's DUI laws.

For more information about repeat DUI offenders, click here to find a DUI lawyer in your area.

A new West Virginia DUI bill has been proposed that calls for stricter penalties for repeat DUI offenders.

The Evans-Perry Bill, named after two families involved in a deadly DUI crash in 2007, would not only call for tougher penalties for repeat offenders, but it would also prevent multiple DUI offenders from obtaining driver's licenses in other states.

The bill calls for staggered sentencing for repeat DUI offenders, jail or prison for a first-time sentence, and probation and alcohol treatment for the second.

Five members of the Evans and Perry families were killed and several others were injured in an accident caused by Brian Stone, who was driving on a revoked license and had multiple DUI convictions on his record.  Stone is currently serving time in prison for the accident.

For more information about DUI law, click here to find a DUI attorney near you.