10/1/03 - A new law requires any driver involved in a serious accident to submit to a breath or blood alcohol test.
HB6698, which passed the General Assembly in June, became effective Oct. 1. Before the law went into effect, the tests could be refused, but if they were, the driver would face a license suspension.
The new law contains a number of other provisions related to drinking and driving. For example, it allows courts to order the installation of ignition interlock devices – which require a breath test that shows no alcohol in the driver’s system – as part of a sentence for drunken driving.
It also allows the state to confiscate the vehicles of a person who is convicted of drunken driving while under suspension for a previous drunken driving incident.
In addition, the provisions apply to drivers who are impaired by drugs.