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'Emma's Law' To Fight DUIs Goes Into Effect in SC

SC's Dept. of Probation & Parole is ready to enforce Emma's Law starting today.
The Longstreet family, who lost 6-year-old Emma because of a drunk driver, being interviewed by News 19's Jennifer Bellamy following the unanimous House vote passing "Emma's Law"

ID=7221909COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A law requiring more people convicted of drunken driving in South Carolina to use a locking device that won't let their car start if they have been drinking is going into effect.

The state Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services said it is ready to enforce "Emma's Law" when it becomes law Wednesday.

Anyone convicted of driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level over 0.15 percent now must use the device for six months, and any offenders convicted for a second time must use it for two years. The devices also have cameras to make sure someone else doesn't blow into it.

The law is named for 6-year-old Emma Longstreet of Lexington who died when a repeat-offender drunken driver struck her family's minivan as they drove to church.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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