There’s a lot going on right now in Pennsylvania in terms of drunk driving laws, and if the new legislation is passed, the state may finally be on their way to receiving Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) five star status.
Drunk driving laws may change to include longer jail time
A bill that was just introduced would crack down on repeat drunk drivers by requiring anyone who is charged with drunk driving twice in a ten year period to spend at least two years in prison, up to a maximum of seven years. Right now Pennsylvania drunk driving laws require that a repeat drunk driver only needs to spend ten days in jail.
The bill would also change how repeat offenders are dealt with after a drunk driving homicide. If the driver had two or more prior convictions he or she would receive a charge similar to that of a third-degree murder charge. The prison sentence would be 10 to 20 years.
Drug tests passed on saliva
The Pennsylvania Senate introduced another bill that would crack down on drivers under the influence of drugs. If passed the new law would allow a police officer to use a test on that person’s saliva to see if they are drugged driving. That test would make it much easier for a police office to process a drugged offender than if they had to obtain a warrant for a blood test.
Judging by these two possible adjustments to Pennsylvania drunk driving laws, it looks like the state is finally cracking down on drunk drivers. Along with the hard won Pennsylvania all offender ignition interlock law that finally goes into effect in August of this year, drunk drivers in the state should finally realize that they aren’t going to have an easy road to travel if they are caught drunk driving.