OHIO The scarlet number: DUIs to result in special plates

The new law requires the plates for those with some driving privileges.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Motorists caught driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol in Ohio as of Thursday could be ordered to have special license plates with red numbers for the first part of 2004.
A law that takes effect Thursday requires the plates with a yellow background for people convicted of driving while intoxicated who are allowed some driving privileges.
The plates have been an option for judges since 1967, but they were rarely used. The new law resulted from a revision of Ohio's traffic safety laws.
In Ohio, people convicted of driving while intoxicated are sentenced to jail time or court-ordered driver intervention programs. Their driver's licenses also must be suspended, but judges can allow some driving privileges, such as to and from work.
Pending bill
Legislation passed by the Ohio House and awaiting hearings in the Senate would revise the provision of the law that requires the plates for first-time offenders. The bill would give judges discretion for those cases.
State Rep. Scott Oelslager, a Canton Republican, sponsored the new law and the bill to revise the first-time offender provision. The bill is intended to restore some discretion that judges have under current law, he said Tuesday.
Drivers ordered to use the special plates would have their regular ones confiscated until all their driving privileges are restored.
Andrea Rehkamp, of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said she hopes the plates will deter drunken driving.
"And maybe it will serve as a type of a warning to other motorists on the roadways, so maybe they'll be more careful around that person who has the special license plate," Rehkamp said.
The plates are intended as a deterrent, not as a tip-off for law enforcement, said Lt. Rick Fambro of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
"While the plates are distinctive, it doesn't give an officer probable cause to pull over the driver," Fambro said.