California’s DUI Offender Problem

September 23, 2009 (by Horatio Algren) According to reports, there are over 300,000 California drivers that have three or more driving under the influence convictions statewide.

According to Assemblyman Mike Feuer, a democrat in Los Angeles there is one way to battle California’s driving under the influence problem, and that is by installing ignition interlock devices on the vehicles of people that have been convicted of DUI.

This is a device that the driver must blow into it and unless they are found by the device to be sober the engine will not start. Feuer’s bill AB91 is expected to be signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and a pilot program to be set up in Los Angeles, Alameda, Sacramento and Tulare County.

During the year 2007 there were 53,261 motor vehicle accidents that were alcohol related, of these accidents there were 1,501 people killed in California. Feuer’s legislation has also accounted for the cost of the ignition system that will be required for DUI offenders, without costing the state of California money for the equipment; this instead will be financed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Other costs associated with the ignition interlock system will be covered by fees the offender is charged with. Approximately 20 percent o the California automobile insurance payments are paid out for accidents involving drivers that are under the influence. The estimated amount that could be saved by reducing 10 percent of the alcohol related accidents could be an estimated $300 million in premium costs.

There are seven states that have this policy enforced for first time driving under the influence drivers, these stats are Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. In New Mexico alone, the amount of two time DUI offenders was reduce 60 percent.