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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Tougher Drunk Driving Laws Posed Among Republican Proposals Is A Bill To Lower To Blood-Alcohol Content Limit To .08 Percent

Associated Press

Noting that 331 people died on Washington roads last year in accidents involving alcohol, Republican senators on Thursday unveiled a package of bills that would drastically toughen drunken driving laws.

The eight bills, led by a proposal to lower the legal blood-alcohol content to .08 percent, are expected to sail through the Senate early in the 60-day session that begins Jan. 12.

House members also are expected to sponsor DUI bills during the election-year session.

“By the end of the 1998 legislative session, penalties for drunken driving will be more severe, more expensive and farther reaching than at any time in our history,” said Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn.

Similar efforts have failed over the years, largely because police and prosecutors were concerned about overwhelming a legal system that was already struggling to cope with existing laws.

But prospects appear brighter this year. Groups representing Washington State Patrol troopers, police officers and sheriffs and police chiefs have endorsed the package as a concept whose time has come, particularly in light of supporting data from other states.

Gov. Gary Locke already has endorsed the lead proposal to lower the legal blood-alcohol content from .10 percent to .08 percent. And Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which has been lobbying for tougher laws for years, is rallying support.

With that kind of backing, the push to join 15 other states with a legal blood-alcohol limit of .08 percent, including Oregon, California and Idaho, has the strongest chance in years. The main obstacle may be choosing between the House and Senate versions - that’s not always as easy as it seems - and ushering them through the Legislature before the scheduled adjournment in mid-March.

The eight-bill package, which comes with the slogan “You booze, you cruise, you lose,” is sponsored by four Republican senators: Roach, Gary Strannigan of Everett, Dino Rossi of Issaquah and Don Benton of Vancouver.

One proposal would require some people convicted of drunken driving to only operate vehicles equipped with a so-called “ignition interlock” device, which prevents a driver from starting a car unless he or she passes a breath test.

Paul Cary of Ignition Interlock of Washington Inc. said about 15,000 such devices have been used across the country in recent years. Of the 300 used in Washington, only one motorist has been caught driving drunk again, he said.

The other measures would authorize impoundment and forfeiture of vehicles operated by people with suspended or revoked driver’s licenses, increase fines and jail times for drunken driving, and increase prison sentences for people convicted of vehicular homicide if they have a history of drunken driving.

Statewide, 37,000 DUI citations were filed in Washington courts in each of the past two years.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: DRUNKEN-DRIVING PACKAGE Details of the eight-bill drunken driving package offered Thursday by a group of Senate Republicans: Lower the illegal blood-alcohol concentration from .10 to .08. Require certain people convicted of drunken driving to only operate vehicles equipped with ignition interlock devices. Authorize impoundment and forfeiture of vehicles operated by individuals with a suspended or revoked driver’s license. Authorize impoundment of vehicles whenever a driver violates DUI laws. Increase fines and jail times nearly threefold for people convicted of DUI. The maximum would be one year in prison, a $2,000 fine and permanent license revocation for a person convicted of DUI who has two or more prior DUIs within seven years. Prohibit people convicted of DUI from obtaining an occupational driver’s license or certificate of vehicle ownership, or from purchasing, renting or leasing a vehicle. Require a motorist’s driver’s license to be administratively suspended for 90 days without exception for a first DUI conviction. Increase the sentence of someone convicted of DUI if that person has prior DUIs. An individual convicted of vehicular homicide would receive the standard sentence plus two years for every prior DUI conviction.

This sidebar appeared with the story: DRUNKEN-DRIVING PACKAGE Details of the eight-bill drunken driving package offered Thursday by a group of Senate Republicans: Lower the illegal blood-alcohol concentration from .10 to .08. Require certain people convicted of drunken driving to only operate vehicles equipped with ignition interlock devices. Authorize impoundment and forfeiture of vehicles operated by individuals with a suspended or revoked driver’s license. Authorize impoundment of vehicles whenever a driver violates DUI laws. Increase fines and jail times nearly threefold for people convicted of DUI. The maximum would be one year in prison, a $2,000 fine and permanent license revocation for a person convicted of DUI who has two or more prior DUIs within seven years. Prohibit people convicted of DUI from obtaining an occupational driver’s license or certificate of vehicle ownership, or from purchasing, renting or leasing a vehicle. Require a motorist’s driver’s license to be administratively suspended for 90 days without exception for a first DUI conviction. Increase the sentence of someone convicted of DUI if that person has prior DUIs. An individual convicted of vehicular homicide would receive the standard sentence plus two years for every prior DUI conviction.