US Edition15 DUIs, still driving: California’s failure to take repeat drunk drivers off the road
California’s weak DUI laws allow repeat offenders to drive with minimal penalties, contributing to over 1,300 annual drunken driving deaths statewide, officials said.
- This year, California's laws let repeat drunk and drugged drivers stay on the road, with statewide records showing they repeatedly cause fatal crashes and more than 1,300 victims die annually.
- Under current law, drivers generally can't face felony charges until a fourth DUI within 10 years, and California returns licenses faster than New Jersey, Nebraska, and Connecticut.
- State data show enforcement has slowed—DUI arrests dropped from nearly 200,000 in 2010 to 100,000 in 2020, a state DMV analysis found nearly 40% of repeat offenders got another DUI, with case files showing clustered repeat arrests.
- In individual cases, charges remain misdemeanor or limited as David Alvarado had three prior DUIs in 2019 but prosecutors in Fresno and Sacramento counties could not bring felony counts; some courts imposed three months jail plus a 129‑day alcohol‑monitoring bracelet.
- San Benito District Attorney Joel Buckingham views a third DUI as a crucial intervention point, urging at least 60 days behind bars, amid persistent recidivism and a proposed bill to expand in‑car breathalyzer use this year.
24 Articles
24 Articles
15 DUIs, Still Driving: California's Failure to Take Repeat Drunk Drivers off the Road
Noozhawk republishes news articles from CalMatters on state and local policy issues that affect Santa Barbara County readers. This is the third piece in CalMatters’ series about how California lets dangerous drivers stay on the road. Read the series here. Sign up for CalMatters’ License to Kill newsletter to be notified when the next story comes out, and to get more behind-the-scenes information from CalMatters reporting. The state of Californi…
San Bernardino Sun
15 DUIs, still driving: California’s failure to take repeat drunk drivers off the road
By Robert Lewis and Lauren Hepler | CalMattersThe state of California gave Sylvester Conway every opportunity to kill. He already had two DUI convictions by 2019, when the California Highway Patrol arrested him for driving drunk in Fresno County. The jail released him three days later. Conway didn’t show up to court and a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.The cycle continued. In April 2021, prosecutors say he drove the wrong way on the highw…
15 DUIs, Still Driving: California’s Failure to Take Repeat Drunk Drivers Off the Road - Sonoma Valley Sun
As alcohol-related roadway deaths spike across the state, a CalMatters investigation finds California has some of the weakest DUI laws in the country. by Robert Lewis and Lauren Hepler Published originally by CalMatters. The state of California gave Sylvester Conway every opportunity to kill. He already had two DUI convictions by 2019, when the California Highway Patrol arrested
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