02.20.09
Potential Ignition Interlock for First-Time DUI Offenders
“Ignition Interlock” is the common name for a device installed in a car which requires the driver to give a clean breath sample before the car can been driven. In Georgia, it is a device which is generally installed for drivers with multiple DUI convictions.
The 2009 Georgia Legislature is currently considering House Bill 92, which would require an Ingnition Interlock device for first-time DUI offenders who are convicted with a blood alcohol content of over .15 g/liter. This would represent a substantial change from the traditional distinction between first-time and multiple DUI offenders. As a practical matter, it would significantly increase the burden on some first-time offenders, putting their penalty on par with the most troublesome of repeat offenders. Whether this is a reasonable change to the law is not something for which we offer an opinion, but it is defintitely an issue to which all drivers should pay careful attention, and an important new reason not to put yourself at risk!
K & B, llc
