The potential impact and legal feasibility of requiring alcohol testing of all drivers in fatal crashes in Virginia

The potential impact and legal feasibility of ...
Jason S. Beaton, Jason S. Beat ...
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December 14, 2020 | History

The potential impact and legal feasibility of requiring alcohol testing of all drivers in fatal crashes in Virginia

This report addresses how the Code of Virginia can be changed to improve Virginia's rate of testing for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) among drivers involved in crashes where there is a fatality. Currently, the implied consent statute in the Code mandates that a BAC test be conducted only after an arrest has been made. A review of U.S. Supreme Court cases and state law demonstrates that there are three options for modifying the implied consent statute. The first option is to require BAC testing of all drivers involved in a crash where there is a fatality but allow the results to be admissible in court as evidence against the dri ver only if probable cause exists independent of the test results. However, because a challenge to such a statute would present a constitutional search and seizure issue of first impression in Virginia's courts, the outcome of such a challenge cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty. The second option is to require BAC testing of all drivers involved in a crash where there is a fatality and some level of suspicion that does not amount to probable cause that the driver was committing the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol. However, although such a law is more likely to be upheld, there is still some risk that it would be found unconstitutional. If the Virginia legislature is risk-averse and is unwilling to make a change that might be declared unconstitutional by the courts, the third option is to amend the Code to require BAC testing where there is probable cause to believe that the driver is under the influence and a person has been seriously or fatally injured. Although this approach would be constitutionally safer, it would not be as effective as the first and second options for increasing the rate of BAC testing

Publish Date
Language
English
Pages
28

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Book Details


Edition Notes

"October 2005."

Includes bibliographical references.

Final report.

Also available online via the VTRC website.

Sponsored by Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles 76462

Published in
Charlottesville, Va
Series
VTRC -- 06-R7, VTRC (Series) -- 06-R7.

Classifications

Library of Congress
KFV2697.8 .B33 2005

The Physical Object

Pagination
iii, 28 p.
Number of pages
28

Edition Identifiers

Open Library
OL31711354M
LCCN
2006372307
OCLC/WorldCat
62242262

Work Identifiers

Work ID
OL24013159W

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