Iowa’s new drunk driving law has gone into effect. The new law spells out a tougher, .08 blood alcohol standard for judging who is driving drunk, but it also makes it easier for most first-time drunken drivers to drive to work once they’ve sobered up. Under the old law, a first time offender had to wait 30 days before he or she could get a work permit. Now, a drunken driver caught in the .08 to .10 level can immediately apply for a permit to drive to work if they did not cause an accident. Jane Holtorff, a compliance officer for the Iowa D-O-T, says those who are arrested between the .10 and .15 blood alcohol levels can get a work permit immediately if they install an ignition interlock system. Holtorff says it’s a computer installed in the car, and the driver must blow into a device and be within the legal driving limit before the car will start. If you find all these new rules confusing, Holtorff says to keep one thing in mind: just don’t drink and drive. Holtorff doesn’t expect many more drunken drivers to arrested under the new, tougher blood alcohol level. Drunk drivers who cause an accident will not be eligible for the immediate work permits.
