News Conference Friday 12/28/18 San Francisco Police Headquarter

Article Source: CA State Senator Jerry Hill

Alert: News Conference Friday at San Francisco Police Headquarters

SFPD Chief William Scott, MADD Northern California Leader and Peninsula Law Enforcement Join State Senator Jerry Hill to Announce Statewide DUI Prevention Program Launching on New Year’s Day

Devices to Lock Down the Car Ignitions of Drivers Who Aren’t Sober Will Be Required for Repeat DUI Offenders and First-Time DUIs Involved in Injury Crashes

WHAT: Senator Jerry Hill and San Francisco Police Chief William Scott with MADD and Peninsula law enforcement partners hold a news conference to announce the statewide rollout of a pilot program requiring convicted repeat DUI offenders and certain first timers to install ignition interlock devices in their cars. The technology, known as IIDs, stops a car from starting if the would-be driver’s breath sample exceeds a preset blood alcohol concentration level.

The launch of the expanded program coincides with heightened efforts by San Francisco and regional police to promote safe and sober driving awareness and enforcement during the winter holidays.

WHEN: Noon on Friday, December 28, 2018

WHERE: San Francisco Police Department Headquarters
Press Conference Room
1245 Third Street, First Floor
San Francisco, CA 94158

Speakers:
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott
Senator Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties
Mothers Against Drunk Driving Northern California Regional Executive Director Natasha Thomas
San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini
Mary Klotzbach, longtime champion of IIDs for DUI prevention, whose son was killed by a drunk driver

Law Enforcement representatives also attending include Sergeant Jacob Trickett of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department.

Visuals: A vehicle equipped with an ignition interlock device will be available for photos and video immediately after the news conference at the curbside.

Background:
Starting January 1, a pilot program now operating in four counties expands statewide and will require repeat DUI offenders and first-timers involved in injury crashes to install an ignition interlock device in their vehicles. The technology, better known as an IID, measures blood alcohol concentration after an individual blows into the device and prevents a car from starting if the driver is not sober.

The goal of the IID program is to prevent DUI offenders from driving drunk again and injuring or killing people.

More than 1,000 people die and over 20,000 are injured each year in California as a result of drunk driving. In the past 30 years, more than 50,000 people have died and over 1 million have been injured because of drunk drivers in the state.

In contrast, from December 2006 to December 2017 in California, IIDs stopped 220,792 drunk driving attempts by people with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher, according to research by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Across the U.S. over the same period, IIDs prevented 2.7 million drunk driving attempts, the MADD study found.

From July 2010 through 2018, California’s initial pilot program required individuals convicted of drunk driving in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento or Tulare counties to install an IID in the cars they drive.

Under Senate Bill 1046, authored by Senator Hill in 2016 and taking effect on New Year’s Day, the pilot program expands to all 58 counties and lifts the IID requirement for first-time DUI offenders who are not involved in an injury accident. At the same time, the expanded program provides a strong incentive for those first-timers to install an IID.

As of January 1, people convicted of:
A first DUI involving no injuries may choose to have an IID installed in their cars for six months and retain full driving privileges. Or, they may forgo an IID and opt for a one-year restricted license that permits them only to drive to and from work or school and to and from a treatment program. Judges retain discretion to require IIDs for these first offenders.

A first DUI involving an injury results in mandatory IID installation for one year.

A second DUI also results in mandatory IID installation for one year.

A third DUI results in a mandatory IID installation for two years.

A fourth DUI and subsequent convictions result in mandatory IID installation for three years.

An IID costs less than $3 a day – approximately $60 to $80 per month – for monitoring and calibration. It costs $70 to $150 for installation. SB 1046 establishes a sliding scale of assistance enabling low-income offenders to pay 10 percent, 25 percent or 50 percent of the IID costs depending on income. The IID provider would pay the rest.

Contacts:

For Senator Hill: Leslie Guevarra, 415-298-3404

For SFPD: David C. Stevenson, 415-837-7242

For MADD: Natasha Thomas,925-452-8752, or Becky Iannotta, 202-600-2032

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Robert Riechel

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Photo Credit: San Bruno CA Patch Archives

Source Credit: CA State Senator Jerry Hill

Web Site: http://sd13.senate.ca.gov/

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