Eliminating Drunk Driving for Good

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - What if there was a way to prevent drunk driving entirely?  New technology could make that a reality.

Marijuana DUI standard dies a 3rd time in CO

DENVER—A marijuana blood limit for drivers was rejected Tuesday for a third time in Colorado, as lawmakers from both parties argued about how to fairly gauge whether someone is too stoned to get behind the wheel.

Never Get Drunk Again? Yale Researchers Developing ‘Stay-Sober’ Pill

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CBS Connecticut) – An experimental drug could stop people from getting drunk off alcohol and thus helping heavy drinkers wean off alcohol.

Drunken driver heads back to jail after refusing to apologize in fatal crash

Michael Giacona had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when he got in to his van June 25 and collided with a black Mustang at an intersection in northwest Houston, killing 20-year-old Aaron Pennywell.

Marijuana DUI Bill Back Before Colorado Senate

DENVER (AP) – A divisive proposal to set a marijuana blood standard for drivers is back before the Colorado Senate, which rejected the idea last year.

Grandparents Pulling Toy Car with Granddaughter Behind SUV Charged with DUI

Two drunken grandparents were arrested for using their vehicle to pull their 7-year-old granddaughter in a toy car, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said.

Cracking down on repeat DWI offenders

One of the worst drunken driving offenders in Bexar County was deemed such a high risk after his 12th arrest recently that four high-tech devices keep tabs on him around the clock.

Texas judge orders convicted drunk driver to public humiliation

A Texas judge sentenced a convicted drunk driver who killed another man in a car crash to revisit the scene of the crash in Houston for the next four Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. while wearing a sign admitting his guilt.

Illinois Court Blocks Forced Blood Draw from Motorists

An increasing number of states allow police to use any level of force needed to take blood from a motorist accused of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). In Ohio and Texas this procedure is explicitly authorized by statute. In Washington, the state Supreme Court decided to sanction the practice on its own authority. Last Tuesday, the Illinois Court of Appeals was unwilling to take that extreme step.

Smart Start Inc. Launches Smart Phone App for Ignition Interlock & Alcohol Monitoring Services

DALLAS, Apr 11, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- With many states implementing strengthened DWI/DUI laws in 2012, Irving, Texas-based Smart Start, Inc. expects to see a nationwide increase in enrollment in its ignition interlock and IN-HOM® alcohol monitoring systems. To provide easier access to enrollment information, Smart Start has developed and launched a new free smart phone app that is available for download via the iTunes store and the Android Market.

Is Va.’s ignition-interlock rule for first-time DUI offenders too tough?

Virginia is set to begin enforcing the region’s toughest drunken-driving penalty, one that will require thousands of first-time DUI offenders — whether they were highly intoxicated or slightly over the limit — to install in their cars blood-alcohol testing devices that can lock the ignition.

DA LYKOS PRESENTS $500,000 TO SUPPORT DWI "S.O.B.E.R." COURT PROGRAM

HOUSTON - District Attorney Patricia Lykos on Thursday presented Judge Robin Brown with half a million dollars to finance alcohol monitoring systems that play an essential role in Harris County's SOBER: Saving Ourselves By Education and Recovery anti-DWI court program. There is no cost to taxpayers, as the equipment monitoring is being paid for with money seized from criminal enterprises.

Bexar officials back anti-DWI plans

Bexar County officials are embracing two new approaches to drunken-driving repeat offenders.

Days after a local man was arrested on an 11th DWI charge, the Commissioners Court authorized the creation of a misdemeanor DWI Court, and they praised efforts to immediately crack down on multiple offenders through tighter monitoring of alcohol use.

Bexar County to crack down on second-time DWI offenders

Starting this week, hundreds of Bexar County residents with pending DWI cases face closer monitoring as officials begin requiring some defendants to use newer alcohol detection technologies, including one donned by Lindsay Lohan.

Face recognition to curb drunk driving and theft?

A Waterloo company is a critical step closer toward marketing a new technology designed to combat drunk driving thanks to the research efforts of a pair of University of Windsor electrical engineering students.

6-Time DWI Convict Surrenders, Begins 40-Year Term

A 48-year-old suburban Dallas man convicted six times of driving drunk has surrendered to begin serving a 40-year prison term after fleeing custody during his latest trial.

Fight brews over DUI technology

Safety advocates and alcohol interests are squaring off over legislation intended to reduce alcohol-related traffic deaths through the use of devices that prevent drunken drivers from starting their cars.

DWI conviction of driver impaired by prescription drugs upheld by New Jersey Appellate court

GREENWICH TWP. — A man who had several prescription drugs in his system after a visit to Hunterdon Medical Center was rightly convicted of driving while intoxicated, the Appellate division has ruled.

Stoned driving epidemic puts wrinkle in Marijuana debate

DENVER –  Angeline Chilton says she can't drive unless she smokes pot.

The suburban Denver woman uses medical marijuana to ease multiple sclerosis symptoms and says she'd never get behind the wheel right after smoking. But her case underscores a problem that no one's sure how to solve: How do you tell if someone is too stoned to drive?

Minnesota to vote on rescinding immunity for lawmakers facing drunken driving arrest

The Minnesota Legislature is expected to vote this week to rescind a get-out-of-jail-free card for state lawmakers who are arrested for drunken driving.

The provision, found in the state constitution, allows lawmakers "privilege from arrest" when they are pulled over by police. According to Article IV, Section 10, of the Minnesota Constitution, "the members of each house in all cases except treason, felony and breach of the peace, shall be privileged from arrest during the session of their respective houses and in going to or returning from the same."

'Sobriety Orders' to be piloted by government

Offenders who commit alcohol-fuelled crimes are to be monitored with ankle tags and breath-tested to ensure they stop drinking, under government plans.

Appeals court: Driving drunk on ice is illegal

MADISON – Driving drunk on frozen Lake Winnebago can be prosecuted as a drunken driving case, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday.

Repeat DWI offender sentenced to 40 years: Man flees police custody, currently considered a fugitive

Law enforcement officers are currently searching for a Plano man who fled from custody shortly before being sentenced to jail for driving while intoxicated.

This is an Amish DUI

It's not drunken driving if you're at the helm of a horse and buggy, apparently.

Instead, the Sheriff's Office in western New York's Chautauqua County has charged four young Amish men with illegal possession of alcohol after their buggy collided with a squad car on Sunday. Deputies were responding to reports of a wheeled drinking party blocking traffic on a country road.

John Goodman Wasn't Drunk; Bentley Malfunctioned, Defense Says During Opening Statements of DUI Manslaughter Trial

A multi-millionaire accused in the death of a Florida college graduate had downed multiple alcohol beverages before getting into his luxury car and running a stop sign, prosecutors said Tuesday in opening statements of the trial, even as the defense painted a picture of a man whose car had malfunctioned and sped out of control, leaving him with a concussion when it slammed into the victim's vehicle.

Connecticut unveils new way to combat drunken driving

HARTFORD, Conn. - The state of Connecticut is tightening the leash on drunken drivers under a new law that increases the mandatory use of vehicle-disabling devices.

Ignition interlocks gauge blood-alcohol content after a person blows into a tube for several seconds. If the BAC surpasses a threshold, the engine will not spark and the would-be driver will either have to wait or try to cheat. (More on cheating later.)

Avoiding Alcohol Testing Getting Tougher for Texas Drunk Driving Suspects

March 11, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Local law-enforcement agencies across Texas are arresting more people for drunk driving because of "No Refusal" enforcement programs, promoted nationally by Texas prosecutor Warren Diepraam of Montgomery County.

German town gets tough on drunk cycling

MUNSTER, Germany –  A German university town is throwing the book at drunk cyclists -- by applying drunk driving laws to peddlers.

Under the new rules in Munster, 296 miles west of the capital Berlin, anyone caught cycling inebriated faces a ban from bike riding, news website The Local reported Friday.

Hundreds of DUI cases in S.F. could be tossed

Hundreds of drunken-driving convictions in San Francisco could be thrown out because of questions about how police handled the device that measures blood alcohol levels, prosecutors and the public defender's office said Monday.

Safety group seeks ignition interlocks for all DUI offenders

A national road safety group is jumping into the contentious debate over which drunken drivers should be required to equip their vehicles with devices that prevent them from starting if they detect alcohol in the driver.

Cost of Colorado drugged-driving legislation is stumbling block

For a bill to create strict new standards in Colorado for driving under the influence of drugs — including marijuana — the next challenge is not the contentious science behind the proposal but the price tag.

Lundbeck Anti-Binge Drinking Drug Helps Cut Intake by 66%

H. Lundbeck A/S (LUN), the Nordic region’s second-largest drugmaker, said its anti-alcoholism treatment nalmefene helped patients cut consumption by an average of 66 percent in three clinical trials.

Gov. Perry Names Reyes Chair of Governor’s Criminal Justice Advisory Council

Gov. Rick Perry has named Ruben Reyes of Lubbock chair and appointed eight members to the Governor's Criminal Justice Advisory Council for terms to expire at the pleasure of the governor. Pursuant to Executive Order RP77, the council will advise the governor on the creation, staffing, operations and performance of specialty courts to ensure the rights of participants are protected.

State advances marijuana DUI legislation

A state senate committee on Monday advanced proposed legislation  — SB 117 — designed to define a DUI level for marijuana-intoxicated drivers.

The bill would set 5 nanograms of THC — the active ingredient in marijuana — per milliliter of blood as the upper limit for THC found in blood samples taken by law enforcement as the standard for intoxication.

Thousands of drunken-driving cases could face a challenge

An otherwise ordinary drunken-driving case in Butler County could reverberate across Ohio, lawyers say.

As the state’s newest generation of alcohol-breath testing comes under assault in courts statewide, the case out of Oxford has grabbed attention because it includes the Ohio Department of Health’s admission that officials changed reports in the state’s drunken-driving database.

TxDOT Lets Potential Drunk Drivers See Themselves Behind Bars

Interactive campaign photo booth discourages drunk driving and encourages young adults to get a P.A.S.S. (Person Appointed to Stay Sober)

Impaired driving on weekends is a very serious problem in Texas that too often leads to alcohol-related crashes and fatalities. In an effort to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the roads, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is reaching out to young adults at universities and military bases around the state to reduce drunk driving incidents and encourage Texans to plan ahead for the weekend by getting a P.A.S.S. (Person Appointed to Stay Sober)

"Driving while stoned" bill setting pot limits advances

A bill to make it easier to convict people of driving while stoned passed its first test in the Colorado legislature Monday.

Senate Bill 117 won approval in the Senate State, Veteran and Military Affairs Committee on a 4-1 vote after a nearly seven-hour hearing. It creates a limit on the amount of marijuana drivers can have in their blood before they're presumed too high to drive.

France says drivers must carry alcohol breath tests

Starting July 1, you'll have to carry a portable blood-alcohol test kit with you if you want to drive in France. You'll be fined 11 euros -- about $15 -- if you can't produce one when the gendarmes ask.

Texas' #1 DWI Offender Lives in Bastrop County

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, there are more than one million Texas drivers with at least one DWI conviction. But there is only one person in the state with 23 and their last known address was in Central Texas.

Device Claims To Fool Ignition Interlock

Nebraskans arrested on suspicion of drunken driving now have a choice -- they can either fight the charge in court or have an ignition interlock device put on their car. Now there's a business that may be trying to profit off the law.

Ybarra receives 2-year prison term for DWI fatality

Jurors sentenced Jenny Ann Ybarra to two years in prison Wednesday in the wrong-way drunken driving wreck that fatally injured Erica Nicole Smith four years ago. Prosecutors had asked for a prison term of 15 to 20 years, which is the maximum for intoxication manslaughter.

Drunk-Driving Interlock Sales May Jump

The market for devices to prevent convicted drunk drivers from starting cars if they’ve had too much to drink may surge almost fivefold if the U.S. Congress passes a bill under debate this month.

US-style alcohol tests to be used for problem drinkers

Problem drinkers in London are to be given American-style sobriety tests aimed at keeping them dry.

The pilot scheme has been given the go-ahead by the Ministry of Justice to use a concept copied from South Dakota, US.

Those convicted of serious drink-related offences, like assault or criminal damage, will be offered the 24/7 Sobriety Programme as a sentencing option instead of prison.

Acute cannabis consumption and motor vehicle collision risk: systematic review of observational studies and meta-analysis

Acute cannabis consumption is associated with an increased risk of a motor vehicle crash, especially for fatal collisions. This information could be used as the basis for campaigns against drug impaired driving, developing regional or national policies to control acute drug use while driving, and raising public awareness.

New drug could help curb crime

With far less fanfare than they deserve, Alkermes Pharmaceuticals is setting out to revolutionize the penal system and help stop prison overcrowding by finally getting at one of the indisputable medical causes of crime (including violent crime):  alcohol and drug dependence.

Brazil Sues Twitter in Bid to Ban Speed Trap and Roadblock Warnings

The attorney general of Brazil has filed a lawsuit against Twitter in a bid to block accounts that warn drivers of police speed traps and roadblocks. 

Houston to Open A Sobering Center for Drunk Arrests

Thousands of people are processed through the City of Houston jail system every year for public intoxication. But the city is taking steps to divert those people away from jail cells to a sobering center where they could receive social services.

Restaurant lobby seeks to put ignition interlock provision on ice

One of Washington's top trade groups for adult beverages is seeking to put on ice a provision within a House transportation bill that would require states to mandate ignition interlock devices for convicted drunk drivers.

Drunk Driving Laws

A report on drunk driving laws from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

District attorney giving HPD $475,000 for breath-test units

The Harris County District Attorney's Office provided the Houston Police Department nearly half a million dollars to purchase additional breath-alcohol testing equipment to be based at police stations, officials announced Wednesday. HPD will receive $475,000 in forfeiture funds from the DA's office, allowing the agency to purchase four additional breath-alcohol testing instrumentsHPD will receive $475,000 in forfeiture funds from the DA's office, allowing the agency to purchase four additional breath-alcohol testing instruments to be placed in HPD substations, as well as upgrade video and audio equipment.

Fatal DWI leads to 45-year term

With Police Chief William McManus in the front row of the courtroom, District Attorney Susan Reed appealed to jurors Friday to demonstrate the community's disgust with drunken driving by sentencing Sandra Briggs to life in prison for causing the death of an officer.

DWI court alternative to jail time

Nearly everyone's life has been touched in some way by someone suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction.

Thanks to a treatment program implemented by Judge Ray Wheless of Collin County's 366th District Court, local courts, attorneys, probation officers and substance abuse experts are working together to help address the underlying cause of DWIs and drug offenses while holding offenders accountable for their actions.

Colorado lawmaker to resubmit stoned-driving bill

It already is against the law in Colorado to drive while impaired by drugs. But currently, without a per se limit for drugged driving, prosecutors must prove at trial that a suspect was impaired. A per se level shortcuts that step by presuming

Drug, DWI Court Program Offers Opportunities, 'Changes Lives'

Two Franklin County Drug Court graduates being taken into custody at a meth lab site in December sparked letters and online comments about the positive effects of the drug and DWI court programs.

“We don’t have a 100 percent success rate,” said Jennifer King, DWI and drug court treatment provider. “I wish we could, but with the disease of addiction it’s just not a reality.”

Backlog of drunk driving cases spurs effort to initiate DWI court

WINSTON-SALEM – It's a typical day in Forsyth County's traffic court where dozens of people wait for their cases to be heard. A growing number face DWI charges and the number of pending drunk driving cases now exceeds 1,400.

"That's partially as a result of the increased arrests that we've seen as a result of the DWI task force," said District Attorney Jim O'Neill.

Curbing drunken drivers: Should ignition interlock be required on every car?

Connecticut motorists convicted of drunken driving are the latest to face mandatory use of ignition interlock devices, a step seen by some as steering the nation closer to requiring alcohol detection systems as standard equipment in all vehicles.

Prosecutors tout success of no-refusal weekend

Area district attorneys praised mandatory blood draws over the New Year's weekend with keeping roadways safer over the holiday. "People are getting the message that suspected drunk drivers cannot escape testing - they will have either a breath or blood sample taken," Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos said in a news release Tuesday. "No excuses, no refusals." Across the county, 35 out of ...

Prosecutor says care lacking with BAT vans

After spending more than three hours in a grand jury courtroom answering questions about the Harris County District Attorney's Office, First Assistant District Attorney Jim Leitner said the problems stemming from breath alcohol testing vehicles could have been avoided if Houston Police Department personnel had taken better care of the machinery. He also said the debacle has been the impetus behin...

Officers stand in unity against DWI

As the holiday season goes into full swing this weekend, local law enforcement officers will have their hands full stopping drunk drivers before they hurt themselves or someone else.

Poolville man gets life after sixth DWI conviction

Parker County prosecutors hope that anyone tempted to drink and drive will think about where Steven Dewayne Knight will be spending the holidays this year, and for years to come.

Will Bexar County’s no-refusal blood draws dismantle the effectiveness of traditional DWI defense?

District Attorney Susan Reed has been on a steady crusade for over two years to push Bexar County into full-time no-refusal territory, setting up a legal framework to draw blood from any suspected drunk drivers who refuse a breath test any day of the week. And by late October, just before Halloween weekend, she got her wish when, according to her office, San Antonio became the state’s largest metro area to implement a round-the-clock no-refusal policy. It was made possible by a $1.4 million one-year Texas Department of Transportation grant paying for overtime sheriff’s deputies, city cops on DWI patrol, and nurses ready to draw blood from DWI suspects should a judge approve it.

Texas Blood Test Aims at Drunk Drivers

Texans arrested for drunken driving should be prepared to give blood this holiday season.

Cities and counties across the state are increasingly demanding that drunken-driving suspects who refuse to take breathalyzer tests submit to blood tests that measure the amount of alcohol in their systems.

DWI Suspect Upset After Officers Find Prior Convictions

CORPUS CHRISTI - A suspected drunk driver has no one to blame but himself for wrecking his car last night at 3rd and Hancock. 40-year-old Filiberto Tagle is facing a felony driving while intoxicated charge for his third offense. Officers first got the call about a crash at 10:36pm and found that Tagle's car had struck a curb. A tire blew out in the impact causing Tagle to lose control and crash....

Traffic Fatalities in 2010 Drop to Lowest Level in Recorded History

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced updated 2010 fatality and injury data showing highway deaths fell to the lowest level since 1949.

TxDOT Targets Holiday Revelers with Anti-Drunk Driving Blitz

With the holiday season upon us, the Texas Department of Transportation is pulling out all of the stops to remind motorists not to get behind the wheel if they’ve been drinking and to find a sober ride home or call a cab. Throughout the month of December, convenience stores, bars and restaurants, gas stations — even movie theaters— in major Texas markets will ca...

Ambitious Drunk Driving Prevention Research Program Moves Forward

The national research effort to develop publicly-acceptable technology that will prevent the illegal operation of a vehicle by a drunk driver (0.08 or above blood alcohol content) is entering a new phase in which it will move out of the laboratory and onto the road with a drivable test vehicle expected to be ready in two years.

As teens drink and drive, Texas only talks tough

Texas prides itself on being a "zero tolerance" state for young drinkers: Even a whiff of alcohol detected on anyone under 21 can result in a ticket. Minors can be cited for even being near a beer.

But reality isn't Texas tough. Whether it is a police officer escorting a young drinker home or a prosecutor opting for lesser charges or dismissing the complaint altogether, young people who drink and drive often get a break.

DWI suspect beats charge in interlock device case

PORTSMOUTH — More than a year after she was convicted for driving drunk on the Spaulding Turnpike, Laongda Chantapho had a court-ordered interlock device in her Honda Civic, which detected alcohol in her bloodstream and prevented her from starting the car.

Chantapho petitioned the court for removal of the device, while State Police sought to convict her for the alleged October 2010 interlock device violation.

Interlock devices mandatory for DWI second offenders

LONGVIEW,TX (KLTV)- DWI arrests are nothing new to law enforcement, but more second offenders are getting more than they bargained for in the punishment phase, mandatory device monitoring. At their cost. In just the first 12 days of January, 10 interlock devices have been ordered on DWI defendants. That's because the law has changed.

House Republicans to unveil transportation bill

House Republicans will present a long-awaited plan to fund the nation’s transportation system on Tuesday, a proposal that would shift more decision-making authority to state governments, dramatically reduce the time spent on environmental reviews and encourage private companies to expand the highway system by building toll roads.