WATCH/EXCLUSIVE: DUI bills imposes stricter punishments

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(The Center Square) – A series of new anti-DUI bills is being introduced this year in the California Legislature.

Most of the new legislation seeks to target drivers convicted of vehicular manslaughter while under the influence.

“I’ve seen the tragedy that’s associated with it, and the reality of how frequently this problem presents itself,” Assemblymember Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale and one of the authors of the DUI-related legislation, told The Center Square in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. “It’s a very significant part of our culture, although we’ve made improvements since the ‘80s, where it was still funny to see people drunk and get behind the wheel of a car. It's no longer funny.”

One of the bills Lackey authored this year, Assembly Bill 1686, makes it possible to convict someone of a felony if they are convicted of one to two DUIs within 10 years. Currently those convicted of one to two DUIs within a 10-year period can have both of those DUIs prosecuted as a misdemeanor.

Lackey, who said he is a non-drinker, said he was trained at the beginning of his 28-year career as an officer in the California Highway Patrol to detect what impairment looked like.

“These people didn’t seem to be drunk and still meet the criteria for being under the influence,” Lackey told The Center Square. “I thought, ‘We might be a little strong-handed on this,’ until I saw crash after crash after crash. Being a non-drinker, it was an eye-opener.”

Among the two other bills, Assembly Bill 1687 would impose stricter punishments on drivers who are convicted of vehicular manslaughter by revoking their driving privileges for eight years, as opposed to three years, which is allowable under current law. Another bill introduced by Lackey and other lawmakers, Assembly Bill 1685, would make it easier for repeat offenders convicted of manslaughter to have their drivers’ licenses revoked. Current law allows two points to count against a driver convicted of manslaughter. The bill would allow three points to count against a driver.

“We’re trying to attach more accountability, generally speaking,” Lackey told The Center Square. “What we’re trying to do is attach consequences, and I know people get uncomfortable with that. But I’m telling you, when you lose a loved one, there needs to be a consequence for that.”

According to data from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, DUI convictions between 2014 and 2017 went down. In 2014, the number of total DUI violations in the state numbered at 84,797, which decreased every year until 2017, when it fell to 70,691. The number of first-time DUIs was 75,441 in 2014, which went down to 62,937 in 2017.

Despite the fall in numbers of DUI-related crashes, drunk and high drivers in California still pose severe risks on the roads. CalMatters reported in 2025 that drivers under the influence caused a 50% increase in alcohol-related crashes where someone died.

Additional data from the California Department of Motor Vehicles shows that between 1980 and 2021, the number of alcohol-involved crash fatalities has also gone down, from 2,684 in 1980 to 1,344 in 2021. However, of those numbers, the number of drug-only car crashes in which someone was killed went up, from 152 in 1980 to 524 in 2021.

The effort from Lackey and fellow lawmakers, Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Irvine, and Sen. Bob Archuleta, D-Pico Rivera, follow related legislation passed last year that Petrie-Norris introduced. That bill, Assembly Bill 366, was passed and signed into law in October 2025.

“What this bill does is require that anyone who is convicted of a drunk driving offense install a breathalizer or an ignition interlock device,” Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Irvine, told The Center Square on the Assembly floor on Tuesday. “The reason it’s super important for us to apply this to all convicted folks with DUIs is we know it works. It’s a common-sense approach for us to protect Californians and save lives.”

Archuleta, who co-authored all three of the bills targeting DUI penalties, was not available for an interview on Tuesday.