The state took a tough stance on drunk driving, instituting a stricter driving under the influence law that took effect Jan. 1.
The state took a tough stance on drunk driving, instituting a stricter driving under the influence law that took effect Jan. 1.
In addition to having their driver’s license suspended, the new law requires first-time DUI offenders to have the Breathe Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device installed in their vehicle for the duration of their license suspension. Once installed, a driver would have to submit to a breath test every time they attempted to start their vehicle, then again at periodic intervals after their vehicle has been started. With the device, the vehicle will not start if, after the driver blows into the device, it shows that their blood alcohol level is above the legal limit to drive. In Illinois, the legal limit is .08.
According to Marisa Kollias, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the device costs between $100 and $300 to have installed and it must be put on the vehicle within two weeks of being convicted of a DUI offense.
Some drivers object to the device and its cost.
“Look, I can barely pay my car note each month. Now they want me to spend money to have some gadget installed if I get caught with alcohol on my breath. No way,” said Dexter Thompson, 33, who pled guilty to a DUI charge in 2005.
But Secretary of State Jesse White said the new law is long overdue.
“This is a new and innovative approach to deal with a very serious traffic safety issue,” he said. “There are too many people killed and injured each year by drunk drivers. This law will save lives.”
In 2003, there were 1,454 DUI-related fatalities in Illinois. By 2007, the number dropped to 1,248. The past two years have seen the lowest number of traffic fatalities since 1924, when there were 1,065.
“Illinois has seen a historic drop in traffic fatalities under the leadership of Gov. (Rod) Blagojevich – to levels we haven’t seen since 1924,” said Milton Sees, secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation. “But, with more than 45 percent of our state’s traffic fatalities involving alcohol, we know we need to continue aggressively attacking the problem of drunk drivers. Increased enforcement is a way to save more lives.”
At press time, 2008 DUI-related fatality totals were unavailable.
Illinois is one of six states that requires the BAIID for first-time offenders.
Monica Turner, 45, supports tougher driving restrictions in part because a drunk driver killed her husband last year.
“He was coming home from work after doing some overtime around 2 a.m. A drunk driver tried to pass a car up by going around it and ended up hitting my husband’s car head on,” she recalled. “The bad part about the accident is the driver had been convicted three years ago for a DUI.”
White said he plans to do everything in his power to address drunk driving.
“It is a top priority of mine to use the resources of my office to combat drunk driving,” he said. “I recently spoke with people who have lost loved ones to drunk drivers. The heartbreak and grief these victims endure is unimaginable.”
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