State Lawmakers Push New California Bills That Target Repeat DUI, Dangerous Drivers To Get Them Off Our Streets

California’s traffic death crisis has pushed some state leaders to a breaking point.

After years of reports showing repeat DUI offenders, hit‑and‑run drivers, and deadly speeders cycling through the system and right back onto our roads, a bipartisan group of California Assemblymembers is advancing a package of bills aimed at one goal: get the most dangerous drivers off the street before they kill again.

“When someone blows twice the legal limit, kills a family, and then gets their license back before the funeral flowers are dry, that’s not an accident, it’s a failure of our laws,” said Matt Clark, managing partner and attorney at the Law Office of Chain | Cohn | Clark. “These bills are about drawing a line and finally putting public safety ahead of repeat offenders’ convenience.”

The package of bills are partly in response to the CalMatters investigative “License to Kill” series, which exposed how weak laws, short license suspensions, and diversion programs have allowed people with long records — DUIs, hit‑and‑runs, reckless speeding — to keep driving with deadly results. Key findings included:

• California’s traffic deaths have risen faster than the national average over the past decade, even as some other states improved.​
• Drivers charged with vehicular manslaughter sometimes regained valid licenses within months because suspensions ran while they were in prison, letting them legally drive as soon as they were released.
• A criminal justice reform law created a misdemeanor diversion loophole, letting some drivers who seriously injured or killed someone avoid a criminal conviction and keep a clean DMV record if they completed diversion.

Families across the state, including many represented by firms like Chain | Cohn | Clark, have repeatedly testified about losing loved ones to drivers who should never have been behind the wheel in the first place.

In response, Assembly Transportation Chair Lori Wilson, Assembly Public Safety Chair Nick Schultz, Assemblymember Cottie Petrie‑Norris, and Assemblymember Juan Alanis have unveiled a slate of bills to close some of the worst gaps.

At the core of the package is a renewed push to crack down on repeat drunk drivers. Assemblymember Petrie‑Norris is reintroducing legislation, modeled on her earlier Assembly Bill 366, to expand the state’s ignition interlock device (IID) program. The proposal would do the following:

• Require first‑time DUI offenders to install an IID, an in‑car breathalyzer, for a set period as a condition of driving again.​
• Make a third DUI within 10 years a “wobbler” offense, allowing prosecutors to charge it as either a misdemeanor or a felony, with potential 120 days to three years in county jail, plus fines and conditions like treatment and IIDs.
• Treat four or more DUIs in 10 years as mandatory felonies, with longer jail terms and stricter supervision.​
• Extend license revocations to five years for drivers with four or more DUI convictions in a decade, up from the current four‑year revocation for three or more.​

Safety advocates, including law firm partner Mothers Against Drunk Driving, have long argued that IIDs are one of the most effective tools for stopping drunk driving because they prevent impaired drivers from starting their cars at all.

Another piece of the package targets the misdemeanor diversion program loophole that allowed some drivers who caused crashes, even fatal ones, to avoid criminal records and DMV points by completing court‑ordered classes or counseling. Under current practice, a driver who seriously injures or kills someone can sometimes enter a diversion program, have the criminal charge dismissed upon completion, and avoid both a conviction and any DMV points or resulting license consequences.

But Assembly Bill 1662, from Assemblymember Lori Wilson, would require the DMV to assign points to a driver’s record when they enter a court‑ordered misdemeanor diversion program, even if the charge is ultimately dismissed. That means a driver who runs a red light, speeds 40 mph over the limit, or injures someone can’t simply scrub their driving history by finishing diversion. Their record will still reflect risky behavior, making future enforcement and insurance consequences more meaningful.

CalMatters found that for serious offenses like felony vehicular manslaughter, California typically revokes a driver’s license for three years, but the clock starts ticking right away, even while the person is incarcerated. In practice, that means someone sentenced to, say, five years in prison for killing someone with a car might finish their three‑year revocation before they’re released. When they walk out of prison, they can immediately reapply for a valid license, as if the revocation never happened.

CalMatters found that for serious offenses like felony vehicular manslaughter, California typically revokes a driver’s license for three years, but the clock starts ticking right away, even while the person is incarcerated. In practice, that means someone sentenced to, say, five years in prison for killing someone with a car might finish their three‑year revocation before they’re released. When they walk out of prison, they can immediately reapply for a valid license, as if the revocation never happened.

“Driving is a privilege,” Wilson said in a statement. “This package holds dangerous drivers accountable and enhances safety on our streets for everyone.”

Assemblymember Juan Alanis, a former sheriff’s sergeant, is sponsoring a measure to improve DUI detection training for law enforcement agencies. His bill would provide funding and standards for expanded DUI training, including drug‑impaired and polysubstance cases, and support specialized units or task forces that can more quickly identify and remove impaired drivers from the road.

“This initiative aims to equip agencies and officers with the necessary training to swiftly identify DUI drivers and remove them from the roads,” Alanis said in a statement.​

For communities like Kern County — with chronic problems of DUI, hit‑and‑run, and fatal crashes on highways like 99, 178, and Interstate 5 — better front‑line enforcement could be a life‑saving change.

“For victims and surviving families, this package of bills is about more than punishment. It’s about prevention and respect,” Matt Clark said. “Families who come to Chain | Cohn | Clark after drunk‑driving deaths or catastrophic crashes often feel doubly betrayed: first by the driver, then by a system that lets them return to the road too soon or with too little accountability.”

In short, these proposals, if enacted, would:

• Make it harder for repeat DUI offenders to quietly rack up convictions without losing meaningful driving privileges.
• Ensure that diversion can’t erase dangerous driving patterns from official records.
• Prevent serious offenders from serving a license revocation while behind bars, then slipping back into traffic as if nothing happened.
• Give police better tools to spot impaired drivers earlier, before they cause another crash.

“None of this brings loved ones back. But it can change the trajectory for future families,” Clark said. “Something many victims’ relatives have pleaded with lawmakers to prioritize.”

What You Can Do

As these bills move through the Legislature in 2026, Californians, especially those in high‑risk counties, can:

• Follow the legislation through CalMatters’ tracking pages and committee hearings.
• Contact your Assemblymember and Senator to share your story and support or concerns.
• Support victim and safety groups like MADD and local advocacy coalitions.
• Continue to make safe choices personally. Never drive impaired, slow down, and report obvious dangerous drivers when it’s safe to do so.

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If you or someone you know is injured in an accident at the fault of someone else, or injured on the job no matter whose fault it is, contact the attorneys at Chain | Cohn | Clark by calling (661) 323-4000, or fill out a free consultation form, text, or chat with us at chainlaw.com.