The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports that, as of last Friday, drivers arrested for DUI will have their vehicles towed and impounded for 12 hours. The new rule-which does have some exceptions-no longer allows a sober friend or relative to take the vehicle.

The law, passed by the 2011 legislature, is a different approach than the old rule, which prevented officers from impounding vehicles without regard for other alternatives or having the driver's permission.

The exceptions under the new rule, which would allow a DUI suspect to reclaim their vehicle before the 12 hour mark, are as follows.

  • A vehicle belonging to someone other than the person arrested for DUI may be reclaimed from the tow lot by the owner.
  • Registered co-owners may redeem the vehicle from the tow company
  • Commercial and farm transport vehicles may be released at the site of the arrest if reclaimed by a legal owner who is not the subject of the arrest.

According to State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste, the new rule is not about punishment, but about safety, as it aims to prevent drunken drivers from getting back behind the wheel before they have become sober.

Cases where drunken driver have returned to their vehicles are multiple, according to State Patrol. Back in 2007, for instance, a drunken driver who returned to her vehicle seriously injured another person, resulting in a $5 million judgment against State Patrol and Whatcom County.

The law does not change the typical practice of releasing DUI suspects to a responsible adult or allowing them to take a taxi home.

Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer, "DUI vehicles to get mandatory tow and impound," Casey Mcnerthney, 21 July 2011.