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Chilean Government Imposed Mandatory Jail Time for Anyone Involved in DUI Accidents
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed into law on Monday a measure mandating at least one year of prison time for anyone convicted of driving under the influence in an accident that resulted in death or serious injury.
“We want this law to show that Chile does not tolerate irresponsible behavior that has such tragic consequences for other people,” Bachelet said during a ceremony at the La Moneda presidential palace.
The new legislation is known in Chile as “Emilia’s law,” the name of a 9-month-old girl who was killed in January 2013 in an accident caused by a drunken driver.
The man, who tried to get away after the crash, was prosecuted but avoided going to jail, which led Emilia’s parents to undertake a crusade to get Congress to stiffen sentences in such cases.
Until now, the penalty for causing a serious accident while driving under the influence was a driver’s license suspension of up to five years and, at the very worst, for life.
But now, those who receive the minimum sentence under the new law, Bachelet said, must serve at least a year in prison before being eligible for such benefits as freedom on probation, meaning that no DUI perpetrator will escape doing time behind bars.
The new legislation also defines two new crimes.
On the one hand, professional drivers caught drinking alcohol or who repeat that infraction will be convicted, and on the other, those who flee the scene of a crash or refuse to take a breathalyzer test will also be penalized.
Bachelet said that consuming alcohol is a factor in at least 20 percent of fatal traffic accidents.
In 2013 there were 148 deaths in traffic accidents caused by people driving under the influence of alcohol.
Published in Latino Daily News
Source: http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/latino-daily-news/details/chilean-government-imposed-mandatory-jail-time-for-anyone-involved-in-dui-a/31161#When:01:56:12Z
