According to a recent report by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, potentially ground-breaking legislation regarding ignition interlock usage in DUI cases is pending before the state Senate Transportation Committee. Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery, has proposed Senate Bill 1036, which expands the ignition interlock program to include first-time DUI offenders. As Pennsylvania DUI attorney Steven E. Kellis can tell you, current Pennsylvania law provides that only repeat DUI offenders are required to install interlock devices on their vehicles as a condition of their ability to drive.
Ignition interlock devices are installed on vehicles to prevent motorists from driving drunk. A driver must blow into the device before the vehicle will start. If the device measures the driver’s blood-alcohol level to be 0.025 percent or greater, then the vehicle will not start, even though the legal blood-alcohol content level for drivers is 0.08 percent in the state of Pennsylvania.
Under the proposed bill, first-time DUI offenders may choose to have an ignition interlock installed on their vehicles for a certain period of time instead of losing their driver’s licenses.… Read More