Two years ago, Angel Renteria was walking her dog when she was struck by a drunk driver. At 16, she spent months on life support and lost the ability to walk or speak.
Angel’s mom, Kelly Carr, now shares her daughter’s story in hopes of showing the dangers of drunk driving.
Renteria is alive, but her mom says her life has been permanently altered due to a drunk driver.
“She can’t eat or drink by mouth — she has to be fed through a tube,” Carr said.
It’s stories like Renteria’s that have led Orange County Assembly member Cottie Petrie-Norris to author a bill to mandate anyone convicted of a DUI to install an interlock ignition device, or IID, such as a breathalyzer, in their vehicle.
Assembly bill 2210 builds on an existing state law to require the technology for people convicted of a second DUI offense. Expanding the requirement to first-time offenders “is an opportunity for us to stop these tragedies before the car even starts,” Petrie-Norris said.
The legislation would require first-time DUI offenders to have an IID placed in their car for a maximum of six months. For second offenses, the IID would need to be installed for 12 months, 24 months for a third offense and 36 months for a fourth offense.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, about one-third of convicted drunk drivers are repeat offenders.
If AB 2210 passes the Legislature and is signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, California would join 35 other states and Washington D.C. that already have the six-month requirement.
“If [AB 2210] makes it a little more difficult for somebody who is intoxicated to get in their car and drive — it’s going to keep the public safe,” Carr noted.
Deaths caused by drunk driving in California are up 53% since 2019, according to the NHTSA. Data also shows states that enacted laws like AB 2210 saw DUI deaths decrease by 15%.
While advocates for the bill say it will increase public safety, groups like the ACLU are against it due to cost concerns.
“The financial consequences of a DUI conviction are considerable and are disproportionately burdensome for low-income drivers. Furthermore, DUI convictions and the consequences that follow are unequally levied on Black and Brown drivers,” said Carmen-Nicole Cox, director of government affairs for ACLU California Action.
The average cost to have a device installed is about $100 a month. Petrie-Norris acknowledges the concern about the costs for vulnerable Californians, but points out the state has financial assistance programs that can bring the cost down anywhere from less than 30 cents to $2.75 per day.
“Even though current law provides a sliding scale for ignition interlock devices, it is inadequate. The scale does not provide for sufficient reductions, especially given the cumulative costs a driver convicted of a DUI is required to pay,” Cox said in an opposition letter to Petrie-Norris.
According to a study by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, IIDs are 74% more effective in reducing recidivism in drunk driving than issuing a license suspension
Carr believes mandating DUI offenders to use a breathalyzer before they can operate a vehicle can deter drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel.
“If the drunk driver would have had to use this interlock device, she would have maybe decided to walk instead of getting in her car. This would have prevented her from driving her vehicle and hitting my daughter,” Carr said.
On Tuesday, AB 2210 passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
Carr hopes when lawmakers weigh in on the bill they think of her daughter and those who have died because of drunk driving.
“This could be somebody you love just innocently walking their dog down the street and something as horrific as somebody driving drunk hits them,” Carr added.