Lawmakers are getting tough on drunk drivers.
Senators want all convicted of DUI to install alcohol-detection devices on their vehicles, even 1st timers.
A bill requiring this passed the Senate and is awaiting a vote in the House.
Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey who represents Lexington County said after an ignition interlock device (IID) is installed on a vehicle, it will not start until the driver blows into the device and registers a blood-alcohol level below 0.08%, the legal limit here.
Statistics show the average drunk drove 80 times before their 1st arrest.
If passed by the House, all 1st-time DUI offenders must have ignition interlocks on their vehicles. 
The device is about the size of a cell phone and is wired into the ignition. 
Advocates say it’s an inexpensive way to ensure offenders can’t drive drunk.
Probation, Pardon and Parole officials ensure the devices are installed. If someone is stopped, law enforcement will know if they are supposed to have a device. The interlocks have prevented 8,725 attempts to drive drunk in the past 12 years in South Carolina. 
In 2018, they blocked 1,743 drunk drivers.