Lawmakers debate anti-drunken-driving devices

RICHMOND

Like drinks at some dive bars, legislation to further crack down on convicted drunken drivers may be watered down.

The state Senate rejected an attempt to dilute Del. Sal Iaquinto's bill, HB279, on Wednesday.

But action on a similar bill is pending in the House, where there's talk of trying to soften that measure, too.

The Virginia Beach Republican's bill would require ignition interlocks in the cars of all motorists whose licenses are restricted because of a DUI conviction.

An interlock device prevents a car from starting if it detects a driver has been drinking. A vehicle operator must breathe into one before the engine will start and periodically thereafter during drives.

The device can sense whether a driver has had a drink within the hour and costs about $80 per month to lease.

Under current law, ignition interlocks are required for drivers with multiple drunken driving convictions and for first-time convicted drunken drivers whose blood alcohol content exceeds 0.15 percent, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent. In 2010, 23,479 people were tested with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or greater, the state Department of Motor Vehicles says.

Safe-driving groups have long pushed for mandatory interlocks for first-time convictions.

They cheered when interlock legislation from Democratic Sen. Donald McEachin cleared the Senate Courts of Justice Committee.

But their joy was interrupted when Iaquinto's bill was amended this week to make interlocks mandatory only for first-time drunken drivers convicted of a blood alcohol content greater than 0.12 percent.

"This is lifesaving legislation that they have weakened," fumed Christopher Konschak, a Virginia representative of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, after the Senate committee change earlier this week. The full Senate later reversed that change.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Bob McDonnell said he prefers to see stricter DUI laws on the books but would view even an amended version of the legislation as "a step in the right direction to making our roads safer."

McEachin's bill, SB378, is pending in the House, where that chamber's Courts of Justice Committee chairman, Del. David Albo, wants to gradually toughen the blood alcohol content standard.

Albo, a Fairfax County Republican, is concerned that mandatory interlock legislation could cause a backlog of people waiting to get the devices. That could force people to violate terms of their conviction by driving to work without an interlock installed in order to keep their jobs, he said.

McEachin, a Henrico County attorney, disputes such claims. He says Virginians favor the kind of tougher drunken driving laws that have been proposed this year.