SACRAMENTO – Motorists cited for high blood-alcohol levels could more easily be required to install breathalyzers in their vehicles, according to bill authored by Sen. Jenny Oropeza that now faces an Assembly Floor vote after passing two policy committee reviews.
"California currently is among the most lenient of states regarding extreme drunk drivers," Oropeza, D-Long Beach, said shortly after approval of Senate Bill 1190 late Monday by the Assembly Transportation Committee and early today by the Assembly Public Safety Committee. "My measure would decrease the blood-alcohol threshold from .20 to .15. This lowers the threshold for when judges can require vehicle breathalyzers as punishment for drunken driving."
The current level of .20 is the highest in the nation, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The federal highway-safety group has encouraged states nationwide to adopt a blood alcohol content (BAC) threshold of .15 for extreme drunken driving.
The BAC to be cited for drunken driving is .08. For a driver to have a BAC of .15, he or she would have to consume at least five drinks in an hour. A vehicle breathalyzer, or ignition interlock device, is a cell phone-sized instrument installed in a driver´s car that would not allow the vehicle to start if the driver has been drinking.
"These drivers are not just making a mistake," Oropeza said, adding: "They are flagrantly endangering themselves and everyone they encounter on the road."
Already approved by the Senate, SB 1190´s Assembly Floor vote has not yet been set.
"California currently is among the most lenient of states regarding extreme drunk drivers," Oropeza, D-Long Beach, said shortly after approval of Senate Bill 1190 late Monday by the Assembly Transportation Committee and early today by the Assembly Public Safety Committee. "My measure would decrease the blood-alcohol threshold from .20 to .15. This lowers the threshold for when judges can require vehicle breathalyzers as punishment for drunken driving."
The current level of .20 is the highest in the nation, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The federal highway-safety group has encouraged states nationwide to adopt a blood alcohol content (BAC) threshold of .15 for extreme drunken driving.
The BAC to be cited for drunken driving is .08. For a driver to have a BAC of .15, he or she would have to consume at least five drinks in an hour. A vehicle breathalyzer, or ignition interlock device, is a cell phone-sized instrument installed in a driver´s car that would not allow the vehicle to start if the driver has been drinking.
"These drivers are not just making a mistake," Oropeza said, adding: "They are flagrantly endangering themselves and everyone they encounter on the road."
Already approved by the Senate, SB 1190´s Assembly Floor vote has not yet been set.
