New California Law Targets Habitual Drunk Drivers
SAN MATEO (KCBS) - Drive under the influence repeatedly in California, and you lose your license for ten years under legislation signed by the governor this week.
Currently, motorists with three DUI convictions can have their licenses revoked for three years, but the new law allows judges to take those licenses away for ten years.
"This is a great opportunity and a great way we can potentially save lives in California," said Democratic Assemblyman Jerry Hill of San Mateo who wrote the legislation.
Spokeswoman Andrea McCarthy said there was no question as to whether Governor Schwarzenegger would sign the bill into law.
Of the nearly 188,000 DUI convictions reported by the Department Motor Vehicles in 2008, more than 9,000 were three-time offenders.
The law takes effect in 2012.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
