State Senate bill targets repeat drunk drivers
(Harrisburg) — The state Senate has approved legislation which cracks down on repeat drunk drivers.
The bill makes it a felony for someone convicted of a third DUI with a blood alcohol level of .16 or higher, or a 4th DUI, regardless of the blood alcohol level.
Bill sponsor and Senate Transportation Committee Chairman John Rafferty says it also increases the penalty if a DUI results in the death of another person.
“This would make the minimum five years,.. and if the person has incurred two or more prior convictions of certain DUI related offenses, it would then make the minimum up to a seven year term,” he said.
Rafferty noted that there were more than 10 thousasnd-200 alcohol-related crashes and 297 alcohol-related fatalities in Pennsylvania in 2016.