SACRAMENTO – With a 39-0 vote last week, the state Senate passed Senator Jerry Hill’s SB 1046 to require ignition interlock devices (IID) for DUI offenders and expand a current four-county IID pilot program statewide. The bipartisan vote sends the legislation to Governor Brown for consideration.
In asking for his colleagues’ aye vote, Hill cited the “the tireless work and dedication” of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and its volunteers for their support of the legislation that is aimed at stopping DUI offenders from driving drunk again.
The San Mateo Democrat had special praise for Mary and Tom Klotzbach of Livermore, whose son, Matthew, was killed by a drunk driver. “They have honored his memory by working to make our roads safer and prevent future tragedies,” Hill said.
If approved by the governor, Senate Bill 1046 would require as of January 1, 2019, individuals convicted of driving under the influence to install and maintain an ignition interlock device. The legislation would expand the pilot program currently in place in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Tulare counties statewide with minor modifications so that with:
- A first DUI offense that also involves an injury, an IID would be required for six months
- A first DUI offense that involves no injuries, an offender may choose a six-month IID requirement with full driving privileges, or a one-year restricted license that would allow only driving to and from work if the offender also participates in a treatment program
- A second DUI offense would result in an IID requirement for one year
- A third DUI offense, an IID requirement for two years
- A fourth or subsequent DUI offense, an IID requirement for three years
The current four-county pilot program would continue until January 1, 2019, when the statewide expanded program begins.
The legislation also offers an incentive to DUI offenders who choose to install an IID soon after their arrest: They would be allowed full driving privileges with installation and use of an IID, and their ultimate IID time requirement would be reduced based on their early installation of the device.
An IID costs less than $3 a day – approximately $60 to $80 – per month for monitoring and calibration. It costs $70 to $150 for installation. A sliding scale would enable low-income offenders to pay 10 percent, 25 percent or 50 percent of the IID costs depending on income. The IID provider would pay the rest.
A recent report by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) found that IIDs in California have prevented over 1 million instances of drinking and driving since 2010.
A DMV report issued in June found that for:
- First offenders: IIDs are 74 percent more effective than license suspension in preventing repeat offenses
- Second offenders: IIDs are 70 percent more effective than license suspension in preventing repeat offenses
- Third and subsequent offenders: Pilot program IID drivers have a significantly lower odds or hazards of a subsequent DUI conviction and DUI incidents
“It’s been tested, studied and proven: Use of ignition interlock devices saves lives,” Hill said.
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Resources:
Fact Sheet for Senate Bill 1046:
http://sd13.senate.ca.gov/sites/sd13.senate.ca.gov/files/Update_SB1046_FactSheet.pdf
MADD Study on Effectiveness of California Ignition Interlock Devices
http://www.madd.org/local-offices/ca/documents/California-Report.pdf
DMV Report, “Specific Deterrent Evaluation of Ignition Interlock Pilot Program in California
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/connect/b1eba1e5-9155-40ba-9a74-0e6e19a0d1bc/S5-251.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
1 comment
Good idea.
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