S.Korea to mandate in-vehicle breathalyzers for repeat DUI offenders

In a bid to combat the persistent problem of drunk driving, South Korea is rolling out a new policy that will require repeat offenders to blow into a breathalyzer every time they start their car, authorities told local media on Tuesday.

The policy, set to take effect on Oct. 25, applies to anyone caught driving under the influence more than twice in the past five years. Under the mandate, offenders will be responsible for installing the breathalyzer-like device -- referred to as the ignition interlock device -- at their own expense, which prevents a vehicle from starting if the driver's blood alcohol concentration is above a certain limit.

The duration of the requirement will match the length of the offender's license suspension, meaning that those whose licenses were revoked for two years will need to keep the devices installed for two years after their driving privileges are reinstated.

Drunk driving has plagued South Korea for years, with police data recording 130,150 cases last year — a nearly 20 percent rebound from pandemic lows and close to the 130,772 incidents recorded in 2019.

From 2018 to 2022, alcohol-related crashes claimed 1,348 lives and injured 134,890 people here, according to the government-affiliated Korea Road Traffic Authority. Around 43 percent of those apprehended for driving under the influence were repeat offenders, according to a June report from the Samsung Traffic Safety Institute.

Similar measures are already in place in countries such as the United States, Australia and Sweden, where multiple studies have shown that ignition interlocks can slash recidivism by as much as 70 percent while installed. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that US states with mandatory interlock laws for DUI reoffenders had 26 percent fewer alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes between 2001 and 2019.

The legislation enabling this policy was passed by the South Korean parliament in October 2023 after a 2 1/2 year delay.

It is the latest in a string of measures the country has implemented to deter drunk driving, which have had a mixed track record of success. In December 2018, the parliament passed amendments to the Additional Punishment Act on Specific Crimes, imposing stricter penalties for drunk driving.

The legislation, known as the Yoon Chang Ho Act, was named after a victim of a DUI accident and increased the maximum prison sentence for repeat offenders to five years, up from the previous one to three years.

However, the Constitutional Court ruled the amendment unconstitutional on three separate occasions between November 2021 and August 2022, citing disproportionate punishment for repeat offenses.