Interlock devices for drunk drivers favored by lawmakers

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BY JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star

Getting repeat drunk drivers off the road is the aim of a bill that got first-round approval Wednesday night in the Nebraska Legislature.

The bill (LB736), introduced by Lincoln Sen. Tony Fulton, would require that first-offense drunk drivers use an interlock ignition device in order to drive to work, school, alcohol treatment and interlock facilities.

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It would also require a convicted offender to apply for and purchase a permit for the device. No permit would be allowed for a person who refused to take a chemical test.

Sen. Tom Carlson of Holdrege made the bill his priority.

In 2006, Fulton said, 86 people in Nebraska were killed because of drunk drivers, and one-third of people arrested last year for drunk driving were repeat offenders.

That shouldn’t happen, he said.

Revoking a driver’s license when someone is arrested for drunk driving is not a remedy for the problem, he said. But studies have shown that interlock devices could reduce the loss of life because they reduce the number of people who drive on suspended licenses, he said.

The device, which looks like a small Breathalyzer, requires the driver to blow into it before the car will start. If alcohol is detected, the car will not start.

With the amended bill, if a person arrested for drunk driving has under .15 percent blood alcohol content, the court may order an impoundment with no driving for six months, or order a six-month revocation with eligibility for an interlock permit after 30 days of no driving. If his or her blood alcohol content is .15 percent or higher, the person’s license is revoked for one year, but he or she can apply for a permit for an interlock device after 60 days of no driving.

The fee for an interlock permit would be $45, plus the cost of the device. The bill provides for assistance for indigent offenders.

The permit could not be used on commercial vehicles.

During debate on the bill Wednesday, Sen. Arnie Stuthman of Platte Center, said he was concerned that a 2006 law that allows a judge to order an interlock device for repeat offenders is seldom used.

“I am very much concerned about drunk drivers on the road,” Stuthman said. “The situation I’m concerned with is that we already have something in place. … We debated this long and hard two years ago.”

Omaha Sen. Brad Ashford, chairman of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, said the bill is a constructive way to handle repeat drunk driving.

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.