By Sandhya Somashekhar and Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, March 7, 2008

RICHMOND, March 6 -- Virginia teenagers who drink and drive will receive stricter penalties under legislation approved by the General Assembly.

The legislature voted this week to impose stiffer fines or more community service on underage drivers who drink, even if their blood alcohol level is below the legal limit. The measure also doubles, to one year, the amount of time a teen driver's license would be suspended.

The measure goes to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D).

The aim of the measure is to discourage risky behavior that results in dozens of car accidents each year, said Del. William R. Janis (R-Goochland), who introduced the bill. After gaining House approval, the bill was rejected in a Senate committee, angering supporters of more restrictive underage drinking laws. Senators later revived the bill, which the Senate passed Tuesday.

In 2006, eight people died in alcohol-related crashes involving drivers younger than 21, according to the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, a group that lobbies for harsher drunken-driving laws. Across Virginia, 46 teens died in alcohol-related car accidents that year, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. That is dramatically more than in the previous year, said Kurt Gregory Erickson, president of the group.

Although Virginia has done a lot to curb drunken driving, the problem of teen drinking and driving "really was somewhat ignored until this year," Erickson said. "We're looking at a population that is often over-represented in alcohol-related accidents but pretty much overlooked."

Currently, drivers who are underage and drink before getting behind the wheel face penalties of up to a six-month suspension of their license, fines and a requirement to perform community service.

Under the legislation passed by the General Assembly, such drivers would have their license suspended for as long as a year and face higher fines, and they would be required to perform more hours of community service.