Penalties for repeat DUI offenders may get tougher under Senate Bill 1042, which the Senate Judiciary Committee passed Monday and will move forward for further consideration.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jim Waring, R-Phoenix, would decrease the legal blood-alcohol concentration level for people who have been previously convicted of driving under the influence.
Committee members approved the proposed bill 6-0, with two members absent.
"In this state, we lose about 300 to 400 people a year to DUI," Waring said. "It is frustrating to me that people so cavalierly go out and drink and then get behind the wheel of a car."
Under the current law, if a person's blood-alcohol level is 0.08 or above, they are considered under the influence.
This bill would make it illegal for a person who has been convicted of aggravated DUI or extreme DUI within the past five years to drive with a blood-alcohol concentration level of 0.05 or more.
At least one ASU student agreed with the idea behind the bill. Alejandra Uribe, an anthropology senior, said tougher legislation should be in place for repeat offenders.
"It's not fair that we have to suffer the consequences of someone not being cautious and choosing to drive drunk," she said. "If you're going to drink, you have to be intelligent and not drive."
The Arizona chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving supports the bill because it is about saving lives, said Chuck Heeman, state executive director.
"We are not against people going out and having a good time," Heeman said. "We just want people to get home safely."
Waring patterned this bill after one that was first enacted in 1988 in Maine. The following year, fatalities and injuries in that state fell by 25 percent, Heeman added.
"[The bill] really enforces the seriousness of the crime," he said. "For some, that is all the deterrent they need."
Heeman said he has lost two loved ones to drunk drivers during his life. One of the drivers was a repeat offender and was cited for extreme DUI.
Studies have shown that approximately one-third of nationwide alcohol-related fatalities and injuries are caused by repeat offenders, according to the M.A.D.D. Web site.
There are several degrees of DUI, which are determined by the individual's blood-alcohol concentration and the circumstances of their violation.
The bill would impose penalties for a second extreme DUI to anyone convicted of an extreme DUI, despite the time frame in which the latter offense occurred.
It would also increase the license-revocation period to two years for a second extreme DUI offense.
Under the implied consent law, if an individual chooses to drive in Arizona, then that implies that the driver gives their consent to a breath, blood, urine, or other bodily fluid test.
This bill would help make Arizona's streets safer, but "legislation is only a part of that process, education needs to be focused on as well," Heeman said.
Reach the reporter at laura.graham@asu.edu.
