Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice and state Senator Charles Fuschillo have introduced a bill that would require ignition interlock devices to be installed on all school busses in the state. If they legislation gets passed it will be the first of its kind in the nation.

“School bus drivers literally hold student’s lives in their hands,” says Fuschillo, “We have strong laws to hold bus drivers accountable after they have been drinking; now we need to prevent them from even having the chance to drive drunk behind the wheel.”

The new legislation came in the wake of an accident where a school bus driver on Long Island lost control and crashed his bus into a home, causing significant damage. He was carrying five students, but luckily they were not injured. In another incident, a mini-bus driver had a half-empty bottle of vodka on the bus and was three times the legal limit.

Ignition interlock devices are generally installed in the vehicles of people who are repeat DUI offenders.

When someone gets a DUI, they will need help. They risk losing their freedom, and driving privileges unless they hire a DUI attorney to contest the charges and work on stopping a conviction.

As Frederick Flowers, 66, was transporting five students home from St. Edward the Confessor School when he lost control, slamming the mini-bus into the garage of a home on Teibrook Ave. None of the children, aged 5 to 9, were injured, but they were taken back to the school for evaluation.

Flowers was airlifted to a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Police later discovered that he was intoxicated at the time of the crash, though they did not state what his blood alcohol level was.

Luckily, there was no one home when the accident occurred.

Flowers was charged with five counts of aggravated driving while intoxicated, five counts of reckless endangerment and two counts of driving while intoxicated. His arraignment will be conducted bedside since he is still in the hospital.

Driving drunk is bad, but when a person puts children’s safety at risk they are facing serious penalties. The only way to negate some of the negative ramifications of multiple intoxicated driving is by building a powerful defense which may result in a reduction of charges.

Any person charged with DUI shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking they don’t need legal assistance. A DUI attorney will do everything in their power to stop a conviction or negotiate with courts to lessen their penalties if conviction is inevitable.

Betty Burden, 55, was sentenced on Wednesday by Judge John Scotillo of Cook County. Scotillo also ordered her to perform 480 hours of community service as well as pay a $1,720 fine.

The incident occurred when Burden was accused of driving students in Mount Prospect Elementary District 57 home from school last March while intoxicated. Burden admits to having drunk several vodka-base drinks before driving.

Her blood alcohol level was .226 percent, well above the legal limit of .08. Illinois has a zero-tolerance police for school bus drivers who are charged with DUI.

Driving while intoxicated can be dangerous to both the driver and innocent motorists or pedestrians in the street. It is especially disturbing when the driver of a school bus filled with children is intoxicated. If you or a loved one have been in a DUI-related crash, contact a DUI lawyer as soon as possible to file a case.

You and your loved ones may be entitled to receive thousands of dollars in compensation for any pain, injuries or losses you have incurred as a result of the drunken driving incident and your DUI attorney will ensure that you receive your rightful benefits.

Drunken drivers often do not incur severe enough penalties for their crimes and most end up driving drunk again and hurting another victim. With a top DUI lawyer on your side, however, you can rest easy knowing that those who are guilty will be held accountable for their crimes.

Call a leading DUI attorney today to schedule an appointment and file a case. The best legal professionals in your town are waiting to help you right now.