BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — California Gov. Newsom signed four new laws targeting impaired drivers and road accidents on Friday, Sept. 25, Repeat DUI offenders in California now face harsher penalties under the four new laws.
Patricia Rillera, regional director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a local nonprofit, said crashes caused by DUIs are preventable after analyzing data on crashes and deaths caused by DUIs in Bakersfield.
"There's a lot of DUIs that happen on a regular basis and they're senseless crimes," Rillera said.
Braun's Law holds suspects who plead not guilty more accountable by requiring that they be read a warning outlining what future DUI offenses could lead to.
Under Assembly Bill 1546, prosecutors can now charge offenders with either a misdemeanor or a felony under a third DUI conviction.
Assembly Bill 1685 imposes up to 3 points on an individual's driving record if convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter.
The final bill, AB 1687 — also known as Irene's Law — establishes a six-year driver's license revocation for individuals convicted of a DUI causing bodily injury if they have 4 or more prior DUI convictions.
Chris Hagan, a partner with Chain Cohn Clark, said while these laws can help reduce accidents and deaths, there is a problem that laws cannot fix.
"Bakersfield is one of the only city that I'm aware of where lanes are going through the middle of town and crossing major intersections with a speed limit of 55 MPH," Hagan said.
The city urges residents to report any suspicious incidents on the road to 9-1-1, where they can patch the report to California Highway Patrol.
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