Achadjian’s bill lowering DUI limit for ride-share drivers is signed into law

A bill by San Luis Obispo Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian to hold drivers for ride-hailing businesses such as taxicabs, Uber and Lyft to the same DUI standards as commercial drivers was signed into law Wednesday by California Gov. Jerry Brown.

Previously, drivers licensed for commercial vehicles could not operate a vehicle with higher than a 0.04 blood alcohol content (BAC), while the limit for drivers of ride-hailing businesses was 0.08 BAC. The new law will make it illegal for any of these licensees to drive with a BAC higher than 0.04 while a passenger is in the vehicle.

Achadjian’s office said in a news release that the bill came about after the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted a local DUI case involving a ride-share driver last year and noticed that California law did not hold those drivers to the commercial standard.

“Passengers who hire a professional driver, whether a taxicab or an Uber service, should feel that they are as safe as possible when riding as a passenger with that driver,” DA Dan Dow said in a prepared statement Wednesday.

Achadjian’s law, AB 2687, passed the California Legislature and was forwarded to the Governor’s Office last month.

The new law will take effect on July 1, 2018.

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Achadjian’s bill lowering DUI limit for ride-share drivers is signed into law."