Drunken-driver bill advances in New Jersey

TRENTON - New Jersey could become the 12th state to require certain drivers with one drunken-driving conviction to prove their sobriety each time they get behind the wheel.

A bill approved yesterday by the Assembly Judiciary Committee would require first-time drunken drivers with a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 or higher - nearly twice the state's 0.08 threshold - to install a lock on their vehicle's ignition. The lock would release after the driver blew into the Breathalyzer-like device and was deemed sober. The bill is dubbed "Ricci's Law" after an Atlantic County teen, Ricci Branca, who was run down by a repeat DUI offender three years ago. - AP