Tallahassee, Florida (PressExposure) May 19, 2010 -- Concerned citizens of Florida clamor after the Florida Legislature proposed the said reinstatement privilege in House Bill 971 on April 29, 2010. Florida Governor Charlie Crist is asked to veto the said bill due to increasing DUI violations and DUI-related deaths in the State of Florida. The amended bill will give multiple offenders the chance to appeal and reinstate their driving licenses, and Florida residents do not think this is a good idea.
The amended Florida Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles House Bill # 971 is presently awaiting Crist's signature, and is slated to take effect September 1st 2010 unless vetoed by Governor Crist. Provisions that allow fourth-time offenders to reapply for their driver's licenses are the hottest issues in Florida today. Other protests revolve around allowing golf carts, mopeds, and other motorized vehicles to use sidewalks and trails, without provisions requiring these vehicles to yield to other sidewalk or trail users. Also, the bill, if passed, will allow the use of three different vanity plates, which allegedly makes it difficult for law enforcement agents to properly identify speeding vehicles.
The amended bill mandates educational classes and the installation of Breath Alcohol Interlock Devices in vehicles as prerequisites to driver's license reinstatement. The device is called Life Safer Interlock, and costs about $70 to install and about $80 a month to maintain. The four-time offender would have to go through a step-by-step program which, along with the above, requires direct supervision and the payment of fees for the same for a period of five years. To the dismay of many Floridians, statistics show that classes are ineffective for multiple offenders, who account for 70% of the total. Furthermore, substances like white bread, pizza crust, and even mouthwash can set these breathalyzers off, rendering them moot.
Although there are guidelines that a four-time offender needs to follow before reapplying for a license, Florida citizens are not convinced that the provisions would ensure road safety. Furthermore, this law will bring confusion to the pedestrians and motorists. Existing law mandates that four-time DUI offenders will have their licenses permanently revoked, and never again be allowed to drive motorized vehicles on the street. According to statistics, nearly 70 % of DUI arrests involve drivers with a blood alcohol content of over 0.15 grams per deciliter, considered heavy drinking. Heavy drinkers are the most common repeat offenders due to their resistance to change in behavior, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research.