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Item: Committee kills anti-drinking bill for repeat DUI offenders/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise
More Info: The House Judiciary Committee has voted 6-5 to kill a measure from its chairman, Rep. Jim Clark, to ban repeat drunken drivers from buying, possessing or consuming alcohol.
Question: Can anything be done with repeat DUI offenders who haven’t caused an accident that has hurt or killed someone?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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Joker on March 10 at 9:35 a.m.
Some states have those breath O Lizer devices attached to the ignition of the cars. I am sure there are ways to beat that system, but it’s better than nothing.
Sam on March 10 at 9:55 a.m.
Joker is right. Washington legislators just expanded our ignition interlock legislation but no matter what, they can be beaten. A few ways: You can have someone else blow into it (though I think I’ve heard some ask you at random times for another blow into them) or you can have the vehicle on a hill and pop the clutch and it’ll start as normal without needing the interlock to confirm you haven’t consumed alcohol.
Part of the issue, though, also, is that enforcement of the devices has been sparse. Our local Senator, a former Sheriff and the only former LEO in the state Senate as of now, worked on that legislation to ensure that people who were supposed to be getting these devices were and they were properly documented. You kind of wonder why that wasn’t happening in the first place. Part of it is that independent installers handle these devices.
Liz on March 10 at 3:03 p.m.
Something has to be done. The current system is a joke.
Stickman on March 10 at 8:47 p.m.
Thanks Liz, I agree.