Print ArticleSACRAMENTO – Motorists cited for high blood-alcohol levels could more easily be required to install breathalyzers in their vehicles, according to a Sen. Jenny Oropeza bill approved on a bipartisan, 34-0 vote today by the California state Senate.
"California currently is among the most lenient of states regarding extreme drunk drivers," Oropeza, D-Long Beach, said shortly after approval of her Senate Bill 1190. "My measure would reduce the blood-alcohol threshold from .20 to .15. This decreases the threshold for judges requiring vehicle breathalyzers as punishment for drunken driving."
The current level of .20 is the most lenient in the nation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The federal highway-safety group has encouraged states nationwide to adopt a blood alcohol content (BAC) threshold of .15 for extreme drunken driving.
The BAC to be cited for drunken driving is .08. For a driver to have a BAC of .15, he or she would have to have consumed at least five drinks in an hour. A vehicle breathalyzer, or ignition interlock device, is a cell phone-sized instrument installed in a driver´s car that would not allow the vehicle to start if the driver has been drinking.
"These drivers are not just making a mistake," Oropeza said, adding: "They are flagrantly endangering themselves and everyone they encounter on the road."
Senators approved SB 1190 by concurring on a committee amendment that reduces costs by making optional a state study on recidivism rates for first-time offenders. The measure will soon go to the governor, who can sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law on Jan. 1, 2009, without his signature.
"California currently is among the most lenient of states regarding extreme drunk drivers," Oropeza, D-Long Beach, said shortly after approval of her Senate Bill 1190. "My measure would reduce the blood-alcohol threshold from .20 to .15. This decreases the threshold for judges requiring vehicle breathalyzers as punishment for drunken driving."
The current level of .20 is the most lenient in the nation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The federal highway-safety group has encouraged states nationwide to adopt a blood alcohol content (BAC) threshold of .15 for extreme drunken driving.
The BAC to be cited for drunken driving is .08. For a driver to have a BAC of .15, he or she would have to have consumed at least five drinks in an hour. A vehicle breathalyzer, or ignition interlock device, is a cell phone-sized instrument installed in a driver´s car that would not allow the vehicle to start if the driver has been drinking.
"These drivers are not just making a mistake," Oropeza said, adding: "They are flagrantly endangering themselves and everyone they encounter on the road."
Senators approved SB 1190 by concurring on a committee amendment that reduces costs by making optional a state study on recidivism rates for first-time offenders. The measure will soon go to the governor, who can sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law on Jan. 1, 2009, without his signature.
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