Motorists are slowing down on Highway 4 in Contra Costa County and Highway 37 in Solano and Sonoma counties.

Some 26 people have died in accidents on Highway 37 in the past five years; 13 have been killed on Highway 4.

So far in 1996, however, only one person has died on each highway. Both accidents involved solo vehicles in which a drunken driver lost control.

"That kind of accident can happen anywhere,'' said California Highway Patrol spokesman Cliff Kroeger, who oversees the specially designated zone of Highway 4, a four-mile stretch from Hercules near Interstate 80 to Cummings Skyway in Rodeo.

CHP officials are attributing the reduction in bad accidents on both highways in part to a law passed last year. The measure designates parts of the two highways as special driving zones in which drivers who break the rules face double the time in jail or double fines.

Speeding tickets that would normally range from $80 to $150 instead range from $160 to $300.

But the success on Highway 37 is also because of the installation of a concrete barrier along a part of the dangerous stretch and the elimination of the road's passing lanes.

"Most of the accidents occurred around the passing lanes,'' said Fred Wold, a Solano County spokesman for the CHP. ``Now drivers are restricted to driving at a moderate rate and not making any passes.''

Drivers say the barrier, which was installed on only part of the 22-mile highway, has provided a sense of security.

"You can tell that drivers seem more comfortable with that center divider. They slow down when it's gone,'' said Michelle Norman, an employee at Sears Point Raceway, who uses Highway 37 to go from her Vallejo home to work and back. She says that the road definitely seems safer.

However, the barrier has also restricted the CHP from snagging drivers who break the law, because officers no longer can make U-turns.

Highway 37 is the main thoroughfare running along San Pablo Bay connecting Marin and Sonoma counties and Highway 101 with Solano County and Interstate 80. An estimated 35,000 vehicles use the road on any given weekday.

The specially designated zones on the two highways are two lanes, one in each direction. The worst accidents, which claimed multiple victims, have been head-on or broadside collisions in which one vehicle has crossed over into one or more oncoming cars, according to the CHP.

Although no barrier has been placed on Highway 4, the median yellow-line dividers were painted on more thickly and reinforced with jagged strips that rattle tires of vehicles that veer too far to the left.

The CHP also reports issuing fewer citations this year, partly because last year it maintained intense campaigns on both roads to raise drivers' awareness of the dangers.

Last year, the CHP issued 1,557 tickets on Route 37 from January to July. This year, the number of tickets dropped to 155 for the same months.

Similarly, CHP officers wrote 308 tickets last year on Highway 4 from January to July. This year, the number dropped to 85.

By Suzanne Espinosa Solis, Chronicle East Bay Bureau

Do you need a California DUI Attorney?

California DUI law does not have to say which drugs are involved. Many medicines can affect the way one drives. Alcohol can enhance some of the dangerous side effects of many drugs, even those that are prescribed by your physician or purchased over the counter. It is important that you check with your physician or pharmacist before driving after taking any medication.

Almost any drug can affect a person's driving skill. This is true of prescription drugs, drugs you can buy over the counter, or illegal drugs. Here are some facts:

Most drugs taken for headaches, colds, hay fever, al lergy, or to calm nerves can make a person drowsy and this can affect his or her driving.

Taking any drug can affect safe driving. Medicines taken together, or used with alcohol can be dangerous. Drivers should ask their physician or pharmacist about how any medicine may affect their driving. Many drugs have unexpected effects when they are taken with alcohol. Drugs and alcohol should never be used at the same time.

Pep pills, "uppers," and diet pills can make a driver more alert for a short time. Later, however, they can cause a person to be nervous, dizzy, and not able to concentrate. They can also affect vision.

Make sure you read the label and know the effects of any drug you use. If it is a common drug, read the label. Any drug that "may cause drowsiness or dizziness" is one you should not take before driving.

Any drug (and the California DUI laws do not distinguish between prescription, over-the-counter, or illegal drugs) which impairs your driving is illegal. If an officer suspects that you are under the influence of drugs, the officer can require that you take a blood or urine test. Persons refusing these tests will be subject to the same license suspensions and revocations as for alcohol test refusals. Anyone convicted of possessing, selling, or manufacturing illegal drugs will be subject to a six-month suspension.

ADMINISTRATIVE PER SE

When you drive in California, you consent to take a test of your blood, breath, or urine if you are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or both. A breath test is also required if you are under 21 years of age and detained because the officer believes you have been drinking any amount of alcohol. If you have a BAC of 0.08% or more, or under age 21 and have a BAC of 0.05% or more, or you refuse, or fail to complete a test, the peace officer will take away your license, and at the same time serve you with an order of suspension or revocation. The suspension or revocation takes effect in 30 days. Within that 30-day period, you can request a hearing. However, a stay of the action will be granted only if the hearing is requested within 10 days after the date on the order and the department cannot provide a hearing before the effective date of the action. The issues at the hearing are only the facts related to the arrest or detention and the tests, not whether or not you need a driver license.

If you are arrested because a police officer suspects you have alcohol or drugs in your body, you will be required to take a test to see if it is true. You must choose which one of the three kinds of tests will be used. (But if you are suspected of being under the influence of a drug, you may be required to take a blood or urine test.) If you are taken to a clinic or hospital for medical reasons and it does not have all three tests, you must take one of the tests avail able. You do not have the right to talk to a lawyer or to have one present before deciding on the test, or during the test.

The suspension or revocation is independent of any jail, fine, or other criminal penalty imposed in court for the driving under the influence offense.

How Long Will I Be Suspended Or Revoked?

If you did not take, or you failed to complete, a chemical test:

• First offenseSuspended 1 year.
• Second offense in 7 years Revoked 2 years.
• Three or more offenses in 7 yearsRevoked 3 years.

If you took a chemical test or a breath test and the test showed 0.08% or more, or 0.05% BAC or more, if under 21 years old:

• First offenseSuspended 4 months.
• One or more prior offenses in 7 yearsSuspended 1 year.

Zero Tolerance Law

California DUI laws are stricter for drivers under 21 years of age. The law requires a person under 21 to take a Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS) test if a peace officer believes the person had been drinking. This test is administered at the scene using a hand-held PAS device.

If the person's BAC is 0.01% or higher or the person refuses to take, or fails to complete, a PAS, DMV will suspend the person's driving privilege for one year.

If there is no PAS device available, the person can choose between a blood, breath, or urine test to determine the BAC level and if the BAC is 0.05% or more, the person may be arrested for driving under the influence. The penalties mentioned above will then apply.

Restricted License

A restricted license (only for first offense of 0.08% BAC or more) can be issued following a 30-day suspen sion of the driving privilege if a chemical test was taken and you were 21 years of age or older when the offense occurred.

You may obtain a restricted license for driving to and from a state licensed DUI program or you may obtain a five-month restricted license to operate to and from work and driving during the course of employment and to and from the activities of a DUI program if you:

• Submit evidence of enrollment in a DUI program.
• File proof of insurance and maintain it for three years.
• Pay all applicable fees.

Ignition Interlock

An ignition interlock is a hand-held breath testing device which is connected to the vehicle and requires the driver to take a breath test for alcohol each time the vehicle is started. A court may require a driver to install such a device if the driver is convicted of driving under the influence once. The court must require a driver to install such a device if the driver is convicted of driving under the influence more than once. The device must stay on the vehicle during the time the driver is suspended or revoked plus one to three years afterwards. The driver must pay for having the device installed and for having it checked every two months to be sure it is still working properly.

NEGLIGENT DRIVING AND LOSS OF LICENSE FOR DRIVERS OVER 18 YEARS OF AGE

Your license can be taken away if you break the law or become an unsafe driver.

When you are stopped by a police officer and cited for a traffic law violation, you sign a promise to appear in traffic court. There you may plead guilty or not guilty, or you may forfeit (pay) bail. Paying bail is the same as a guilty plea.

If you ignore the traffic ticket and don't keep your promise to appear in court, the failure to appear (FTA) goes on your driver record. If you fail to pay a fine (FTP), the court will notify DMV and this will also show on your driver record. Even one FTA or FTP will cause the depart ment to suspend your license. Ending the suspension will cost you a reinstatement fee of $15.

Each time you are convicted of a moving traffic law violation, the court notifies the DMV. A record of this conviction is placed in your driver license file.

POINTS ON THE DRIVER RECORD

The department keeps a public record of all your traffic convictions and accidents. Each occurrence will stay on your record for 36 months or longer, depending on the type of conviction. A traffic conviction for driving unsafely counts as one point.

Any "at fault" accident is normally counted as one point.

Two points are charged against you if you are convicted of reckless driving, of driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, of hit-and-run driving, of evading a peace officer, of driving while suspended or revoked, or of driving on the wrong side of the road. This list is not all -inclusive.

If you get too many "points," you will lose your driver license.

Remember, the more traffic convictions you have, the more likely you are to have an accident.

You may be considered a NEGLIGENT OPERATOR of a motor vehicle when your driving record shows any one of the following "point count" regardless of your license class:

• 4 points in 12 months
• 6 points in 24 months
• 8 points in 36 months

If you receive certain convictions while operating a commercial vehicle, you will be charged 11/2 times as many points. Refer to the California Commercial Driver Handbook for additional information.

Are you in need of a California DUI Lawyer?

This is a charge to the lesser included offense of violation of 23103. The term wet reckless does not actual appear anywhere in the statutes.

Instead, a 23103 conviction is specially permitted where (1) the defendant pleads guilty to a California DUI violation of 23103, in satisfaction of or as a substitute for, an original charge of non-injury drunk driving 23152, (2) the prosecutor states for the record a factual basis, including facts disclosing whether or not alcohol or drugs were consumed, and (3) the court advises the defendant of the drunk driving sentence enhancement consequences of the conviction (23103.5).

Wet Reckless 23103.5
1. Counts as a prior conviction is convicted again within 10 years.
2. Insurance companies treat it as a California DUI.

A "dry" reckless is also an occasional disposition in a DUI. Where "dry" reckless is the disposition, there need not (and must not) be compliance with 23103.5. That's because the separate offense of reckless driving could have been charged in the first place. Therefore it's not a satisfaction or substitution (23103.5) for a drunk driving charge.

A "dry" reckless conviction results where a charge of violation of 23103 is simply added to the complaint as an offense that could have been charged originally, the defendant pleads guilty to it, and the DUI charge is dismissed.

To be certain that the conviction will not become a DUI sentence enhancement in the future, be sure to state that the conviction is understood by all to be "not in accordance with 23103.5". And be sure the clerk understands that Disposition Code "R" does not go on the abstract sent to the DMV.

WET RECKLESS PENALTIES

Approximately 17 years ago, the legislature created a new statute known as "wet reckless" - reckless driving that is related to alcohol (Vehicle Code Section 23103.5). It is a bazaar fiction that there is no requirement that there is any reckless driving. The legislature's purpose was to encourage plea bargains in close cases - giving defendants a reason to plead guilty and yet giving to government a way to get convictions. The following are the approximate usual penalties imposed for cases reduced from a DUI to a "wet reckless" (as of March 1999):

$600 - 1,200.00 in fines;
three years of "informal probation"

It is important to remember that a person who receives this reduction is still viewed as having suffered a "prior" DUI conviction should they receive another DUI arrest in California the next ten years. This means you are treated the same by the DA and the judge as if you had pled to a DUI instead of the wet reckless. DMV and insurance companies treat the charges the same also (Two points against your license and increased insurance premiums).

Are you need of a California DUI Lawyer?

The bills would extend the length that a DUI conviction remains on a driver's record, as well as give more power to the Department of Motor Vehicles for enforcing DUI laws.

Senator Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, authored the bills after the hit-and-run deaths of Danville brother and sister, Troy and Alana Pack, in October 2003

Jimena Barretto, 45, has been charged with the deaths and was allegedly under the influence when the accident occurred. Torlakson alleges Barretto had a two-decade history of drunk driving convictions.

"Nothing can change the tragedy endured by the Pack family, but these new laws can help prevent similar accidents," said Torlakson in a written statement.

SB 1694 will extend the length of previous DUI violations on a person's driving record to 10 years.

SB 1697 will consolidate Drivers license restrictions and revocations for DUI violators at the DMV. According to Torlakson, this would streamline license sanction and reduce costs and workloads for courts.

SB 1696 will force DUI treatment providers to send a certificate of completion directly to the DMV.

The bills become law on Jan.1, 2005.

(Copyright 2004, Bay City News. All rights reserved.)

Two More DUI Bills Become Law

By Simon Read, Staff Writer

TriValley Herald

DANVILLE -- The parents of two Danville children struck and killed last year by a hit-and-run driver scored a personal victory on Thursday when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law two bills aimed at preventing drunken driving.

The laws, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, will impose harsher restrictions on those who drive impaired or intoxicated. The legislation was championed by Bob and Carmen Pack, who lost their two children to a driver with multiple convictions for driving under the influence.

SB 1694 will increase the state's statute of limitations on previous DUI offenses from seven years to 10 years. SB 1697 will consolidate driver's license restrictions and revocations for DUI violators at the Department of Motor Vehicles, thus streamlining sanctions.

Both bills were co-authored by state Sens. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, and Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough. Last week, Schwarzenegger signed SB 1696, which requires DUI-treatment providers to send a certificate of completion directly to the DMV.

"We're very excited that the bills have passed and that the governor saw the importance of all three bills," Bob Pack said. "I think it's a sign that our officials want to be proactive in making California a leader in saving lives through stricter DUI laws."

The Packs played a pivotal role in getting the three bills introduced back in February. They traveled to Sacramento and testified before state officials regarding the events of Oct. 26, 2003.

The Packs' children, Troy, 10, and Alana, 7, were killed in Danville on that day. They were riding a bicycle and a scooter, respectively, on Camino Tassajara when a Mercedes 300D jumped the sidewalk at Rassani Drive, according to court records.

Alana died immediately. Troy died that night at Children's Hospital Oakland.

Jimena Barreto, 45, of Walnut Creek was driving the vehicle and left the scene of the accident, records said. Police arrested her two days later in San Jose.

Records said Barreto, a professional nanny, has two prior DUI convictions

and was driving on a suspended license. A grand jury indicted Barreto in May on charges of second-degree murder.

She also faces counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence causing bodily injury, felony hit-and-run, driving on a suspended license and possessing cocaine. Barreto's trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 18.

"These bills (stemmed) from a horrible tragedy," Torlakson spokesman Robert Oakes said Thursday. "This family that suffered an incredible loss was willing to testify to state legislators. They went out so far."

Oakes said the new laws will eradicate loopholes that allow repeat DUI offenders to stay on the road.

"If these laws had been in place last year, that woman would not have been driving," he said. "But this is a reminder that when good people are willing to take part in the public process, good things can happen."

Steve McKaskey, president of the Alameda County Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said the group supported all three bills throughout the legislative process.

"We believe they will help reduce the death toll due to alcohol-related crashes on our streets and highways," he said.

McKaskey lost his 22-year-old son, Matthew, in a drunken-driving accident in Livermore that also killed two others in February 2001. The driver, Nicole Le Freniere, 22, is serving a six-year term in Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla.

The Packs, meanwhile, said they are not ready to sit back and relax just yet. Already, they are hoping to introduce drug-reform legislation next year.

"There is much more we can do," Bob Pack said. "I would like to say to the governor that this is just the beginning. Next year, 'I'll be back.'"

Staff writer Simon Read covers public safety for the Herald. He can be reached at (925) 416-4849, or sread@angnewspapers.com.

Are you in need of California DUI Lawyers?

The key is intensive probation supervision. Those convicted of multiple California DUI arrests are subjected to psychological evaluations meant to help identify offenders most likely to drive drunk again. In addition to jail time, high fines and fees and victim restitution, high-risk offenders will face three to five years of formal supervision. They must complete alcohol abuse rehabilitation and submit to regular alcohol testing.

The grant funds a two-year pilot program that, to date, has reviewed the cases of more than 50 DUI offenders.

By: Associated Press

A drunken driver got nine prison terms for nine lives lost in a flaming freeway accident on Father's Day 1995. The total sentence for Teodolo Bermudes was 137 years, eight months, without chance of parole. ''When I first learned the details of this case, I was heartsick over it,'' Superior Court Judge J. Thompson Hanks said when handing down the sentence Monday. ''He killed a whole family. It's beyond tragic.''

Bermudes was convicted last month on nine counts of second-degree murder for causing a wreck on Highway 60 near the junction with Interstate 10 outside Beaumont.

The family of Jose Rodriguez and Mercedes Diaz de Rodriguez, packed into a 1968 Plymouth Valiant, was struck from behind by Bermudes' fast-moving Ford pickup. Witnesses said the truck had been weaving. The Valiant flipped and burst into flames.

Bermudes kept going but was arrested in nearby Banning. The parents and a small daughter were pulled from the burning car, but the girl died from burns a month later. Four of the Rodriguez children, three grandchildren, their adult daughter and the father of two grandchildren were killed.

Witnesses testified that Bermudes had been drinking all day and had enough alcohol in his blood to equal 10 to 12 beers. Hanks said he owed the Rodriguez family equal punishment for every life lost. The parents weren't in court Monday.

Bermudes got 15 years to life for each death, plus two years, eight months for six related felony and misdemeanor drunken driving charges. ''With all due respect, I have asked for forgiveness five times,'' said Bermudes, 36, a landscaper from Cathedral City. ''Not so that charges be removed or punishment lightened. In public, I am regretful for what I have done.'' ''He is a decent, conscientious, hard-working fellow,'' said Bermudes' attorney, Deputy Public Defender Frank Scott. ''But he is an alcoholic.''

Prosecutor Creg Datig told the judge Bermudes was a threat because he couldn't seem to control the urge to drive while intoxicated. Bermudes had two previous drunken driving arrests.

SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

Or, you received a misdemeanor conviction for driving on a suspended license last month, but you decided to do it again. You get pulled over for a traffic violation. Under new Assembly Bill 3148, your car will be impounded, and possibly forfeited and sold by the state. These are a few of the strict new California laws which took effect January 1, 1995.

Many of the new anti-crime laws enacted by the Legislature were auto-related, DUI laws were strengthened; laws against car-jacking were written; immediate revocation of drivers' licenses were added to many drug- and weapons - related charges.

Included in the new auto-related laws in California are two tough unlicensed-driver laws, written by Senator Quentin Kopp and Assemblyman Richard Katz. Kopp's bill, SB 1758, says that if you are driving without a valid license, your car will be impounded for 30 days. Katz's bill, AB 3148, also known as the Safe Streets Act of 1994, will require any car driven by a second-time offender of driving without a license, be forfeited and sold by the state. (The San Francisco Chronicle reported that in the first week of January 80 cars had been impounded under these laws, which are some of the toughest in the nation.)

Since January 1, if a driver is stopped and the officer cannot verify a valid license, SB 1758 says the vehicle should be impounded for 30 days. (In actual practice some jurisdictions have not been keeping them that long.) To get the car back the driver is required to pay fines, city administrative fees, towing fees, and daily storage fees. In San Francisco for example, the administrative fee is $150, towing fee is $120 and the daily storage rate is $25 after the first day.

Under SB 1758, people who knowingly lend their cars to unlicensed drivers can face misdemeanor charges and a minimum fine of $300.

Under AB 3148, for a second offense within five years, the driver faces a mandatory jail sentence, impoundment and forfeiture of the car.

Some details:
What happens if you're pulled over by a traffic officer and you just don't have your license with you? If the officer can verify that you do have a valid license, that car will not be impounded. However, if the officer cannot verify the license, the car will be impounded and the driver has three working days to come up with a valid license.

If this happens to you, call a California DUI Lawyer?

SACRAMENTO
Gov. Pete Wilson signed legislation Thursday to more than double prison terms for repeat drunk drivers involved in fatal accidents, saying that "from now on, the punishment will match the crime."

The bill, known as "Courtney's law," was named for 15-year-old Courtney Cheney of Roseville, who was killed last year by a drunk driver with four prior convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol.

The new law imposes prison sentences of 15 years to life for motorists convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter who have two or more previous convictions for drunk driving or one prior conviction for vehicular manslaughter or a similar charge.

"A drunken driver is more than an accident waiting to happen. You're a loaded weapon," Wilson said. "We are sending a message to California motorists, one we hope will scare them sober."

In a bill-signing ceremony in Wilson's office, Suzanne Meyer, Courtney's mother, said it was "both a happy and sad day for us," sad because she still mourns her daughter's death, but happy because her name will be memorialized in a law that will save lives.

Assemblywoman Jackie Speier (D-Burlingame), principal author of the bill, described it as a three-strikes law for serious drunk driving offenders.

She said current law will let the driver who killed Courtney out of jail in 5 1/2 years.

"Everything we can do to stop the slaughter must be done," Speier said. "Pure and simple, Courtney's law takes problem drunken drivers off the road and puts them behind the bars where alcohol is never served."

Type of Material: Wire Service Story

Descriptors: WILSON, PETE; CALIFORNIA — LAWS; SENTENCING; DRUNK DRIVING;

Are you in need of a California DUI Attorney?

New California Laws - 2005

Who'd have thought it? Vehicle license fees go down.

The votes are in the laws have been replaced if damaged The motorist passed. The California Legislature has must carry proof of proper installation. hammered out an updated version of the state's Vehicle Code. (Get this: Over 10 additions were made to the Vehicle Code about transporting kitchen grease!) Some changes that affect California drivers include lower vehicle license fees, extending the stoplight camera program for red-light runners, and a measure that helps protect money designated for highway use from being diverted to other projects. Here are some highlights:

Saving money

A 25 percent reduction in the vehicle license fee, collected at the time you register your car, goes into effect January 1. The fee could be reduced further in the future if certain state General Fund conditions are met. Assembly Bill (AB) 2797.

Continued enforcement

Stoplight cameras that help catch red-light runners are now permanent. A new law repeals the January 1, 1999, sunset date for "automated enforce-ment devices" at traffic control signals. Senate Bill (SB) 1136.

Payment options for some

People who face hardship in paying traffic infraction fines soon can be sentenced to community service instead. The courts will have the discretion to determine what consti-tutes a financial hardship. AB 2197.

Don't even think about it

No vehicle may be equipped with any device that can jam, scramble, neutralize, disable, or otherwise interfere with a radar, laser, or any other electronic device used by the police to measure speed. Not only is using such devices illegal, but you can't even purchase, possess, sell, manufacture, or distribute them either. SB 1964.

Bothered by ultraviolet rays?

Motorists will be allowed to put UV ray blocking material on front-side windows, but the material must be clear and must be removed or

Keeping the roads safe

Large, noncommercial vehicles, such as RVs, are the focus of a resolution requiring a study of whether vehicles 80 or more inches wide and 80 or more inches high contribute to traffic accidents when driven in the left lane on multilane freeways. Assembly Concurrent Resolution 187.

Protecting highway funds

A ballot measure passed by voters in November now places certain restric-tions on the loan of revenue from fuel taxes to the state General Fund. The restrictions include the requirement that the General Fund repay the loan in full and during the same fiscal year in which it was borrowed. This state Constitutional Amendment was approved by the voters and is now in effect. Assembly Constitutional Amendment 30.

Stop!

A new law changes the penalty for people who knowingly flee from a peace officer. Now, a minimum of six months in prison is required for anyone who flees a peace officer. (The maximum time in prison for this offense is one year.) AB 2066. The prison term for people who willingly flee a peace officer, and in doing so cause a person serious injury or death, is increased to three to five years. AB 1382.

All laws go into effect January 1, 1999. unless otherwise noted. Nevada's legislature meets in alternate years, and 1998 was not a legislative year. Utah lows generally go into effect on July 1; the July/August VIA will include a summary of new troffic laws for that state. A digest of motoring laws, with more details and information, is available at AAA district offices.

The program is funded by a grant from the California Office for Traffic Safety. Titled the ‘Vehicle Impound Program by OTS’, the goal is to remove DUI drivers and those driving with a suspended or revoked license as a result of a DUI conviction from the streets by taking away their vehicles. Police logs show that repeat DUI offenders are more likely to drive without a license.

The grant covers pay for officers staffing sobriety checkpoints and conducting DUI enforcement operations. In addition, sting operations will be used to catch people driving to or from a courthouse with a suspended or revoked driver’s license. Repeat California DUI offenders and those who drive without a license could have their cars impounded for 30 days.

It is hoped that the program increases public awareness of the problems of drinking and driving, and that the loss of a vehicle acts as a deterrent.

The goal of the three-year grant is to increase the California DUI conviction rate through better training of prosecutors.

California has one of the highest rates in the nation for alcohol related traffic fatalities. State prosecutors would like to see penalties for drunk driving increased. Currently a person can be convicted of three California DUI arrests before being charged with a felony.

The half-pound Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitors, or SCRAMS can detect alcohol in perspiration. The device gathers information periodically and the wearer is responsible for relaying that information to a central processing computer at least once a day. Probation and court officers can review that information to determine if the bracelet wearer is violating conditions of their probation.

Use of the bracelet is usually reserved for those who have been arrested for repeat DUI offenses. Typically court sentencing for repeat DUI offenses includes alcohol counseling and rehabilitation. That is why the monitoring for alcohol consumption is important.

In San Diego County, where almost a quarter of those arrested for drunk driving are repeat DUI offenders, County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Jan Caldwell says, “Anything that helps keep drunk drivers off the roads, anything that keeps our deputies from going to these senseless, thoughtless crime scenes, is a good idea.”