It’s a sobering statistic. Police say more than 1,300 people die in California each year due to drunk driving crashes.<\/p>\n
Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom is introducing a bill that would ban selling booze to repeat DUI offenders.<\/p>\n
“California already has the ability to restrict driver’s licenses, and we should do so with the alcohol sales,” Ransom said.<\/p>\n
The proposal would allow judges to place a “no alcohol sales” \u00a0label on a person’s physical driver’s license as part of their probation.<\/p>\n
It would apply to people caught driving with a blood alcohol limit twice the legal limit and two DUI convictions within three years or a crash involving major injury or death.<\/p>\n
“This is not about punishment for its own sake,” said Alex Gammlegard, with the California Police Chiefs Association. “It’s about intervention before lives are lost.”<\/p>\n
The bill is supported by law enforcement and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), which says DUI deaths have gone up 50% in the last decade.<\/p>\n
“These are not accidents,” said Rhonda Campbell, victim services manager with MADD. “They’re choices and they’re certainly preventable.”<\/p>\n
How would the alcohol sales ban be enforced?<\/p>\n
All customers at bars, restaurants, and stores would be required to show their license, even if they look of age, before alcohol could be sold.<\/p>\n
Bartenders will have to manually check every ID before a drink is served.<\/p>\n
“It wouldn’t be something we would necessarily look forward to doing, but we’ll do it if that’s what we have to do,” said Scott Manley, owner of Last Stop Saloon in Sacramento.<\/p>\n
Supporters say the alcohol prohibition would only impact people who’ve committed crimes in the past and it’s necessary to reduce drunk driving rates.<\/p>\n
“Responsible adults have nothing to fear from a bill like this,” Ransom said. “This is about public safety, prevention, accountability and saving lives.”<\/p>\n
Drivers would have to forfeit their current DMV ID and pay the cost of getting a new one. A similar law went into effect in the state of Utah on January 1.<\/p>\n
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