DUIs Could Become Permanent Record Under New Legislation

A Riverside County lawmaker introduced legislation Wednesday that would make a DUI conviction part of a person's permanent criminal record, instead of wiping out the convictions after a decade as currently done.

"Unfortunately, everyone has been impacted by the harmful act of a drunk driver in some way,'' said Sen. Bill Emmerson, R-Hemet. "Current DUI penalties are not strict enough for repeat offenders, and this bill would change that.''

Under Emmerson's SB 780, a single misdemeanor DUI conviction would be counted against an offender for life. Existing law provides a 10-year "washout'' period, at the end of which a DUI is deleted from a person's record as long as he or she hasn't been convicted of a second DUI in the interim.

A DUI offense that occurs after the washout is treated as a first-time conviction under current law.

SB 780 would also make a person eligible for felony prosecution if he or she commits a third non-injury DUI offense, regardless of when. Existing law requires four non-injury DUI convictions in 10 years before felony punishment can be sought.

The senator's bill would lastly mandate a five-year sentence-enhancing allegation for any offender who flees the scene of a deadly collision they caused.

"Driving under the influence is a serious crime that requires serious consequences,'' Emmerson said. "SB 780 will strengthen these penalties to reflect the severity of the crime.'' --City News Service