"Drink and drive in the New Year --- you will lose your license and you could lose your car"
Information in this release is provided courtesy of the Seattle Police Department.
Starting January 1, 1999, Washington State enforces one of the strictest DUI laws in the country by
lowering the legal blood alcohol limit to .08 from .10, authorizing immediate license suspension for those
failing the breath test, and requiring ignition interlocks on all drunk drivers' vehicles to prevent them from
starting their vehicles when intoxicated.
The new DUI laws work hand in hand with the new "Driving While License Suspended" (DWLS) Impound
Law also being enforced as of January 1, 1999, in Seattle and other jurisdictions across the State which
authorizes the immediate impoundment of a suspended driver's car. "If you 'Booze and cruise, you lose your
license. . . and then your car.' ", says Seattle City Attorney Mark Sidran.
This marks the first time that suspended drivers will routinely have their cars towed whenever they're stopped.
There are about 260,000 suspended drivers in Washington state but an estimated 75% of them continue to
drive anyway, even though it's a crime. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission reports that 15 percent of all
traffic fatalities involve a driver with a suspended license and suspended drivers are three times more
likely to kill or injure someone in a crash than a validly licensed driver. "These new laws will make our
roads safer for law abiding drivers," says King County Executive Ron Sims. In addition, the huge numbers of
suspended driving cases is clogging the courts and because more than half of those charged don't show
up for court, they're also clogging the jails.
Also starting January 1, the City of Seattle will begin towing any illegally parked vehicles with four
or more parking tickets unpaid for at least 45 days. All impound fees must be paid in order to have the
car returned. The City urges suspended drivers who have been suspended for failure to pay traffic
tickets, and people with unpaid parking tickets, to get their tickets "settled up".
Seattle Municipal Court has set up a time payment plan for those who need help meeting their obligations.
For further information, contact the Seattle Municipal court at 206-684-5600. For information on how to
reinstate one's license, contact the Washington Department of Licensing (DOL) in Olympia at
360-902-3900, or stop by any of DOL's local offices.
Contacts: Lt. Mike Fann, Seattle Police Department, (206) 684-8761
For More Information: Preeti Shridhar, City of Seattle, (206) 233-7162
For release: Dec. 30, 1998