The Virginia General Assembly may pass a new DUI law. If it is approved, anyone convicted of drunk driving must take a breath test before being able to drive their vehicle.

Lawmakers hope the law will help cut down on drunk driving accidents in the state. If the bill passes, anyone convicted of DUI must have a breath-testing machine installed in his or her vehicle before getting a restricted license to drive to school or work. Once the machine is installed, the vehicle will not start until after the driver blows into the device and proves he or she has not been drinking.

The new law would affect first-time offenders. The current law only requires the devices for people with more than one DUI offense, or those found guilty of driving with a blood alcohol content of more than 0.15 percent. Virginia's legal limit is 0.08 percent.

The Virginia House of Delegates passed a version of the bill 87-11 in February 2012. The Virginia Senate's Courts of Justice Committee approved a similar bill in February 2012. The entire body will vote on the bill in the near future.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving is strongly backing the proposed law. The organization estimates by the time a person is arrested for drunk driving the first time, he or she has already driven under the influence of alcohol 87 times.

A Suffolk, Virginia, attorney says if the new law prevents even one drunk driving accident, it is worth it. "There's no downside to it," he says.

The American Beverage Institute is vehemently protesting the bill. It says Virginia should focus its resources on "hard-core" offenders. If the law passes, it may cost the state up to $10 million to monitor the ignition-interlock system, one study indicates.

Under the current law, people required to use the device pay a monthly fee of about $60 to participate.

Source: Newport News Daily Press, "Virginia bill would require breath-test machines for first-time DUIs," Peter Dujardin, Feb. 11, 2012