Lawmakers joined family members in calling for changes to Minnesota's DWI policies after a deadly drunk driving crash last year that killed two people and left nine others injured at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park.
A new bipartisan bill would require drivers with multiple drunk driving charges to take breathalyzer tests before and after getting behind the wheel. Lawmakers say they're pushing to require repeat offenders to use the interlock system.
Interlock checks a driver's blood alcohol levels before letting them get behind the wheel
"While you're driving, you've got to blow into it to start the car, and you've got rolling retests," Senator Ron Latz explains. "So as you're driving, you're also blowing into the interlock every five, ten, 15, 20 minutes to make sure that no one gets the car started has an open bottle and starts drinking after they've gotten behind the wheel.
Latz added while it won't stop all drunk drivers, the law is focused on preventing licensed drivers with a history of multiple DWIs from offending again.
House Representative Larry Kraft (DFL- St. Louis Park) says this kind of policy could help prevent tragedies like the one at Park Tavern.
"He would have been on interlock and not able to get behind that vehicle when he killed those," says Kraft. "He killed those two members of our community."
Unlike some other states, Minnesota does not permanently revoke licenses after multiple drunk driving convictions. Kraft says this change would help combat that issue in a new way.
56-year old Steve Bailey reportedly had a blood-alcohol content of .325 when he crashed into the Park Tavern patio, which is far above the legal limit of 0.08.
Bailey had a valid driver's license despite as many as five previous DWI arrests.