NASHVILLE - Tennessee lawmakers are trying to agree on legislation that would require offenders charged with drunken driving to have ignition locking devices installed in their vehicles.
One bill sponsored by Rep. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, would require a person arrested with a blood alcohol content of 0.15, and who requests a restricted driver's license, to have one of the devices installed. The ignition locks require a driver to breathe into a device, and demonstrate they are below the allowed blood alcohol level, before the vehicle's engine will start.
A similar bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Henry Fincher of Cookeville would mandate that a person with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 get a device regardless of whether they have a restricted license.
Shipley was asked to delay his bill in the House Criminal Practice and Procedure subcommittee on Wednesday so lawmakers can further study the measure. He told the panel that he didn't consider the bill to be a "partisan issue, but about ... saving lives."
Laura Dial, executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Tennessee, said the group supports Fincher's bill because it is stricter. She cited similar laws passed in New Mexico and Arizona which have seen drunken driving fatalities decrease by 35 and 33 percent, respectively.
In 2008, 327 people were killed in drunken driving crashes in Tennessee, according to MADD.
"This lifesaving legislation is a step toward the goal of one day eliminating drunk driving," Dial said.
Tennessee currently has a law that gives judges the discretion of requiring DUI offenders to have the ignition lock devices installed.
Shipley said he tried to pass a similar bill last year that was a little tougher, "but it ran into tremendous amounts of problems."
"Some people aren't happy with making small steps, they want to take giant leaps," Shipley said. "And the giant leaps are very hard to come by around here."
Rep. Eddie Bass, D-Prospect, said he would like to see an amendment added to either one of the proposals that would require offenders who do not comply to be penalized with additional jail time.
"Driving is a privilege," Bass said. "And so, if you're given the privilege after committing a crime to drive a vehicle again on a restricted license, then if you violate that privilege, you should be punished for it."