Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 23, 1993 TAG: 9302230175
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: GREG SCHNEIDER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
PANEL KILLS HARSHER DUI MEASURE
A House of Delegates committee on Monday defeated a bill to lower the amount of alcohol in the blood that makes a driver considered to be drunk.Introduced by Sen. Thomas Norment, R-Williamsburg, the bill had passed the Senate but failed in the House Courts of Justice Committee on an 11-9 vote.
Virginia law now considers a driver drunk if his or her blood has an alcohol content of 0.10 percent or higher. Norment wanted to lower the level to 0.08 percent.
"Doesn't that send the message to people: We don't want them driving and drinking at all?" said Del. Clinton Miller, R-Woodstock, who tried to rally other committee members behind the measure.
The House Courts of Justice panel has killed such legislation before; last year, an identical bill was deferred to this year. That measure was defeated Monday, as well.
Del. Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton, argued there was no evidence that lowering the limit would have an impact on drunken driving.
"There are lots of people impaired at 0.05, and there are lots of people who don't get impaired at much higher rates," Cranwell said.
The better way to attack the problem, he said, would be to allow authorities to suspend someone's driver's license on the spot if the person appearred to be driving drunk. Both House and Senate have approved such a plan - called administrative revocation - and will appoint a conference committee to iron out minor differences this week.
H. Lane Kneedler, a lobbyist for the liquor industry, said that 4,400 of 22,000 alcohol-related traffic deaths in the nation in 1991 involved a blood-alcohol content below 0.09 percent. Kneedler supported administrative revocation as a better solution.
"Why can't you support both in your zeal for law and order?" Miller asked, insisting that the lower limit would send a stronger message.
"0.10 sends that message," Kneedler said.
"Wouldn't 0.08 send the message two points better?" Miller said.
"So would 0.00," Kneedler said.
Cranwell intervened, and said that no level would be enough to stop a problem drinker. "They need treatment," he said, "not 0.08."
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1993