Kentucky Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Raise DUI Offense Record to 10 Years

Drivers convicted of driving under the influence in Kentucky would have it on their record for 10 years under a bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Currently, it takes four driving under the influence convictions within five years to be charged with a felony in Kentucky. State Senators heard testimony from an Elizabethtown couple whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver. The driver had five prior DUI offenses, but because they were more than five years old he was charged with a DUI first offense.

In the last year, nearly 24,000 Kentuckians were convicted of a DUI offense. Most of those were for first-time offenses, but 137 were convicted for the fourth time in a five-year period. This bill would likely increase the number of DUI fourth offenses.