DUI
Multiple Bills Would Toughen Tennessee DUI Laws
State legislature advancing several bills addressing drunk driving in Tennessee.
The Tennessee legislature is considering a series of bills that would strengthen DUI laws in Tennessee. They cover a range of penalties for drinking and driving in Tennessee, including mandatory ignition interlock devices and lower blood alcohol levels for an extreme DUI in Tennessee.
The legislators have been in partisan squabbles about sponsorship of competing and similar bills, though the proposed DUI laws appear to be making their way out of committee for consideration by the full Assembly.
A Senate bill calls for the automatic revocation of the driver’s license when a motorist is arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence in Tennessee. This is the only Tennessee DUI bill that has the open support of Governor Phil Bredesen.
One House bill would require all motorists convicted of drunk driving in Tennessee, including first offenders, to install an ignition interlock device in their vehicles. A second bill under consideration calls for mandatory interlock devices on the second or subsequent DUI in Tennessee. Currently the law allows judges to use their discretion to mandate the devices after a second drunk driving arrest.
Another House bill would lower the blood alcohol content for the designation of ‘extreme DUI’. Currently the BAC level is .20% and the proposed new threshold would be .15%. When the charge of extreme DUI is applied additional jail time is automatically mandated.
The House is also considering legislation that would prohibit the occupants in a vehicle from having an open container. Similar bills have been considered in the past with no consensus on punishment for the offense. The current measure calls for a flat fine.
The Criminal Practice Subcommittee has approved a House bill that calls for a minimum 48 hour jail term for first time DUI offenders. Three years ago a bill was passed that allowed offenders to divert 24 hours of jail time to a litter pick-up detail. The new legislation would require the entire jail term to be fulfilled, after which litter duty as community service would be required.
The state president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving said he felt they were going to have a “landmark year” in the passing of Tennessee DUI legislation.
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