The State of Nebraska has reduced the number of administrative license revocation hearings for DUI cases by 90 percent! The number of hearings is down because people who are arrested for DUI now have the option to simply waive the Administrative License Revocation (ALR) and immediately apply for an Ignition Interlock Permit (IIP).
Nebraska’s Administrative License Revocation law, which has been in effect since 1992, allows police to confiscate the driver’s license of anyone arrested for DUI and issue a 30-day temporary license to be used until a license revocation hearing can be held.
People who think they’ve been wrongly accused can ask for a hearing, where, after testimony a recommendation is made determining whether revocations should go into effect or be dismissed. Most of the hearings result in 90-day license suspensions.
A new state law, which went into effect on January 1, 2012, allows for no suspension for first-time offenders if they waive the ALR and apply for an Ignition Interlock Permit. It also provides a shorter suspension (45 days) for multiple offenders that waive the ALR and apply for an interlock device. Consequently, Nebraska has seen a 20 percent increase in the number of ignition interlock devices issued in DUI cases.
The IIP allows those arrested to use an interlock device like the LifeSafer FC100 and continue to drive to meet their daily obligations, like going to work, school and treatment programs. In the past, those arrested would usually wait weeks (and sometimes months) for their hearing, while continuing to drive on a suspended license. As a result, Nebraska has seen a dramatic drop in license revocation hearings from 5,150 in 2011, to fewer than 500 so far in 2012. In addition, 471 hearing decisions were appealed to district courts last year. So far in 2012, only eight decisions have been appealed, freeing up valuable court resources.
Here’s a handy chart from Nebraska’s DMV site which shows who is eligible for an IIP after an arrest: http://www.dmv.ne.gov/frd/pdf/2012_Interlock_chart.pdf
This new law is getting people back on the road quickly, safely and legally while saving tax payers money. Way to go Nebraska!