West Virginia Lawmakers Crack Down on First-time Drunk Drivers

The West Virginia Legislature passed a bill cracking down on drunken drivers.

Under legislation sent to Gov. Joe Manchin, first-time offenders with blood-alcohol levels of .15 or greater would be required to have interlock systems installed in their vehicles.

West Virginia’s legal blood alcohol limit is .08 percent.

The interlock technology requires drivers to blow into a device that measures their blood alcohol content before their vehicles will start.

West Virginia currently requires the interlock program for repeat offenders.

The bill that passed Saturday differed from an earlier version that would have required all first-time offenders to get the interlock system.