DUI Laws May Jail Thousands in Va.

Douglas said the process, which entails scouring Department of Motor Vehicles records for offenders' car titles, is so time-consuming that she plans to hire someone just to work on ignition interlock cases. Those could increase by 1,000 a year in the county, she said.

Several patrons at an Alexandria bar said recently that they were unaware of the stricter laws, but most said they know when to stop drinking before getting behind the wheel. Laws and possible social consequences keep them in line, they said.

Navy commander and flight instructor Dave Manero, 38, who is stationed in Pensacola, Fla., said the threat of losing his job over a drunken driving charge is all the deterrent he's needed to remain cautious.

Drinking beer with a friend at Portner's Restaurant in Old Town, Manero said, "It's not just the jail time; it's what a conviction does to the rest of your life. . . . I'm 205 pounds. You ask yourself, 'How much can I drink?' It's an unknown. So you just can't overdo, that's all. You can't be stupid."

Two bankers in crisp white shirts sipped St. Pauli Girl beers and considered that unknown: just how much can someone drink before hitting the 0.15 blood alcohol level.

"About six beers," guessed Don Sweeney, 36. Kirk Purdy, 44, nodded in agreement. "Six beers in two hours," he said.

The general rule is that each drink -- one 12-oz. beer, one glass of wine or 1 1/4 ounces of liquor -- raises a person's blood alcohol percentage by 0.02, said David Dutcher, executive director of the James River ASAP in Charlottesville.

But that can vary greatly, he warned. Men, who generally weigh more and have faster metabolisms than women, usually can drink more. People who've eaten or who drink slowly will not become intoxicated as quickly. And those who choose drinks like Long Island iced tea -- a potent cocktail made with five liquors -- will probably reach a high blood alcohol level faster than those who sip light beers.

Sweeney and Purdy, both Alexandria residents, said they felt confident they would never reach 0.15 before driving but wondered whether the laws would snare members of the cocktail party crowd along with hard-core, regular drinkers.

"You're punishing people who are no more dangerous than being sleepy," Sweeney said. "It's just a person who has an off night -- literally one too many."

Lawmakers and anti-drunken driving advocates reject that idea, noting that it usually takes knocking back at least a half-dozen drinks quickly to get to that level.

"Social drinking is two glasses of wine, possibly, over dinner," Dutcher said.

Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax) said legislators expected to hear complaints about costs associated with the new laws. Albo sponsored a bill, which passed the House but failed in the Senate, that would have required inmates to pay for their jail time.

The General Assembly will reconsider that idea and other sources of funding next year if jails, courts and ASAPs need more money, Albo said. But he and other anti-drunken driving proponents said the new laws will be well worth their cost if they deter people from drinking before driving.

"It's got to be done," Albo said. "There's always a price tag."

Staff writers Lena H. Sun and Leef Smith contributed to this report.