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DMV won't relicense repeat drunken drivers in NY

New York officials have issued regulations to prevent repeat drunken drivers from getting their licenses back. WAMC's Dave Lucas reports.

Under the new rule, the Department of Motor Vehicles will review the lifetime records of drivers seeking reinstatement after a revocation and deny any that have five or more alcohol- or drug-related driving convictions.

The DMV is also supposed to deny relicensing for anyone with three or more such convictions and at least one serious driving offense within the last 25 years.

The agency says drunken drivers whose licenses have been revoked or suspended for six months will no longer be able to get privileges back in seven weeks by completing an education program.

The changes are expected to affect 20,000 drivers this year.
The regulations were released Tuesday.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.