Proposal to strengthen DUI statutes goes to governor

One of the Legislature's main DUI bills passed the House Thursday and now lands on Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s desk.

SB42 increases and clarifies several drunken driving statutes. But the heart of the bill says if a driver refuses to take a Breathalyzer test, he automatically falls into a 10-year not-a-drop status.

That means if at a later date he is stopped and found to have any alcohol in his blood, he's guilty of DUI statutes. Normally, a person is DUI guilty if his blood has .08 percent alcohol.

The new law "will encourage drivers to take the (alcohol-detecting) test" in the first place, said House sponsor Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield.