New Jersey to impose new penalties for drunken driving starting Dec. 1: What you need to know
New Jersey's new drunken-driving law takes effect on Dec. 1 and eliminates license suspensions for most first offenders while requiring all motorists convicted of DWI to install ignition interlocks, the in-car breathalyzers that immobilize a vehicle if the driver's breath registers too much alcohol.
The new statute eliminates suspensions for first offenders convicted with a blood alcohol content (BAC) reading below 0.15%. Once convicted, these drivers will be required to keep an ignition lock on their cars for three months to a year and blow into it every time they want to start the engine. If the driver has a BAC of 0.05% or above, the car won't start.
First offenders with a BAC over 0.15% remain subject to a license suspension of four to six months and must install an interlock for an additional nine to 15 months under the new law. A second offense exposes the driver to a license suspension of up to two years and requires interlocks for two to four years.
"What we're trying to do is change people's behavior, while safeguarding our roads at the same time," said Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Middlesex, the primary sponsor of the law. "It's a big change, and it's long overdue."
Read more: https://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/2019/11/27/nj-new-drunk-driving-law-take-effect-dec-1-heres-what-know/4275332002/