Two new laws go into effect today that make getting caught drinking and driving in Washington state a much more expensive and legally onerous experience. The first law, Substitute House Bill 2660, extends temporary licenses to more people — not just those who need to drive to work — but mandates that anyone who wants to drive after a DUI arrest, a DUI conviction or after opting for deferred prosecution must have an ignition-interlock device installed in his or her vehicle. The second law, Substitute House Bill 3055, is aimed at curtailing the frequency with which breath-test results are tossed out of court. Juries — instead of judges — will now decide what weight to place upon a test result and are to view that evidence "in a light most favorable to the prosecution," the law says.
Tough DUI laws take effect
This article originally published
Friday, June 11, 2004 by
Sara Jean Green - Seattle Times Eastside bureau at
The Seattle Times .
Correction: This article about two new DUI laws incorrectly incorrectly stated that Substitute House Bill 3055 requires juries to view breath-test evidence "in a light most favorable to the prosecution." Instead, judges are to view the evidence in such a light when deciding if the prosecution has proven foundational facts....
