California Senate bill will require all DUI offenders to have interlock device installed

A new bill passed in the California Senate on Tuesday requiring all drunk driving offenders to have ignition interlock devices installed in their vehicles. The bill will now be sent to the Assembly for consideration.

Currently, ignition interlock devices are only required in four California counties as part of a pilot program: Alameda, Los Angeles, Tulare and Sacramento, state officials said in a release.

An ignition interlock device won’t allow a person to start their engine unless they pass a breathalyzer test that determines their BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) is below the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle.

A DUI offender may have to have the device installed in their vehicle for more than a year, depending on the magnitude of their violation.

SB 1046 was approved by Senator Jeremy Hill and it passed unanimously.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) applauded Senator Hill for passing the bill and sending it to the Assembly for consideration.

“”MADD is grateful to the Senate for moving this life-saving bill forward,” said MADD National President Colleen Sheehey-Church. “In the coming weeks, MADD will be visiting Assembly members and calling on them to quickly pass SB 1046 to protect residents and visitors from this 100 percent preventable crime.”

State officials said in February, MADD released its first-ever Ignition Interlock Report, which shows how many times the devices have prevented attempts to drive drunk in every state. In California, ignition interlocks have prevented more than 1 million attempts to drink and drive. About 125,000 of those attempts involved drivers with a .08 blood alcohol concentration – the legal definition of alcohol impairment in all 50 states.

Founded in 1980 by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to end drunk driving.