Kentucky Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Raise DUI Offense Record to 10 Years

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Drivers convicted of driving under the influence in Kentucky would have it on their record for 10 years under a bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Currently, it takes four driving under the influence convictions within five years to be charged with a felony in Kentucky. State Senators heard testimony from an Elizabethtown couple whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver. The driver had five prior DUI offenses, but because they were more than five years old he was charged with a DUI first offense.

In the last year, nearly 24,000 Kentuckians were convicted of a DUI offense. Most of those were for first-time offenses, but 137 were convicted for the fourth time in a five-year period. This bill would likely increase the number of DUI fourth offenses.