STUART, Fla. -- With just days left in the legislative session, some anti-drunk driving organizations are closely watching a bill they hope will pass this year, aiming to prevent repeat drunk drivers.
A proposed amendment to SB 784 would give first-time offenders an ‘incentive’ to put an ignition interlock device in their cars.
The device requires a driver to blow into a tube. It will only allow the car to drive if the driver’s Blood Alcohol Content is below the legal limit.
Under the proposed amendment, a first time offender, who did not cause injury or damage, could have their criminal record sealed if they voluntarily put the ignition interlock device in their car for six months.
Representatives with MADD, or Mothers Against Drunk Driving, say the devices help prevent repeat offenses.
For Stuart resident Philip Harvey, the bill gives him hope that no other family will have to experience the pain he felt more than three years ago.
“I think about it every day,” Harvey said.
His son, Philip Harvey Jr., was killed by a drunk driver in Palm City. He remembers getting the news.
“The highway patrolmen, knocking on that door, well dressed. You open that door up and they ask me, ‘Are you Philip Harvey Sr.? Do you know Philip Harvey Junior? It was hard.”
The man who killed Harvey Jr., John White, was a repeat offender.
The bill, which is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Thursday, is progess, Harvey says.
“I’m excited about it,” said Harvey. “It makes them become aware of the fact, if I take that drink I cannot drive that car.”
