Law takes effect setting new controls for DUI offenders

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

More people convicted of driving under the influence will be required to use ignition interlock devices under a law that goes into effect Friday.

The new law, passed last year with wide support, requires people with a first-time DUI conviction and a blood-alcohol content of at least 0.10 to use the devices for at least a year. Supporters have said they think the law will protect other drivers while also ensuring that people with first-time DUI convictions can drive to keep a job and meet other responsibilities.

The new law puts Pennsylvania on par with 48 other states, according to the office of state Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery, who sponsored the legislation.

“Ignition interlocks are smart on crime and proven to stop drunk-driving attempts,” Mr. Rafferty said in a statement. “With this new law, ignition interlocks will be available to more individuals and allow them to be productive members of society in a strictly controlled environment while serving their drunk-driving sentence.”

The law easily passed the House 193-2 and the Senate 50-0 before it was signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf.

Ignition interlock devices require drivers to blow into a tube that measures the presence of alcohol. If the devices detect an unacceptable amount of alcohol, the vehicles will not start.

Pennsylvania previously required ignition interlock devices only for repeat drunk drivers.

The new law will not affect every person convicted of DUI for the first time. Some people, depending on the circumstances of their case and the desires of the people prosecuting it, could choose to enter a program called Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition. The