The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Stricter DUI law takes effect in Pennsylvania
A new Pennsylvania law is adding stronger penalties for repeatedly driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, PennDOT announced Tuesday.
“This law makes significant changes to existing law that will ultimately increase the protection of all drivers by keeping repeat offenders from continuing to operate a vehicle while impaired by drugs or alcohol after being charged with a DUI,” PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said. “Repeating these offenses puts others at risk and these law changes reflect the severity of these acts to make our roads safer.”
The legislation — known as “Deana’s Law” — increases the grading for certain DUI offenses, requires consecutive sentencing for certain repeat offenders, and imposes an 18-month license suspension for a second-degree felony DUI conviction, PennDOT said in a news release.
The law is named after Deana Eckman, a 45-yearold Delaware County resident who died in 2019 at the hands of a serial drunk driver. Her family and friends spent years pushing for the legislation to be enacted.
Under the law, an individual charged with DUI who refuses a breath or chemical test; is charged with DUI with a blood-alcohol content of 0.16% or higher; or is charged with a DUI involving controlled substances faces more severe consequences based on how many prior offenses they’ve committed:
For two prior offenses, they face a third-degree felony charge, punishable by up
“Driving impaired puts everyone at risk, and repeat offenders disregard the risk they pose every time they get behind the wheel impaired. This law enhances penalties for those individuals, and hopefully they will think twice before reoffending.” — Maj. Robert Krol, director of the state police patrol bureau
to seven years in prison.
For three or more prior offenses, they face a seconddegree felony charge, punishable by up to 10 years in prison
The law also requires an individual convicted of a DUI offense who has two or more prior offenses to serve their new sentence consecutively to any other jail time they are already serving except for violations that are required to be merged. In addition, the law provides for a sentencing enhancement in cases where an individual has four or more prior DUI offenses.
“Driving impaired puts everyone at risk, and repeat offenders disregard the risk they pose every time they get behind the wheel impaired,” said Maj. Robert Krol, director of the state police patrol bureau. “This law enhances penalties for those individuals, and hopefully they will think twice before reoffending.”
State police made 18,412 DUI arrests in 2020. According to PennDOT, an estimated 7,700 crashes in 2020 involved alcohol, with about 6,565 related to a drunken driver. Of these accidents, 3,701 resulted in injuries and there were 293 alcohol-related deaths.