Photo by AlbinoFlea

For the last 20 months, D.C. police have relied on field sobriety tests and urine tests to determine whether a driver is drunk or not. Starting this Friday, though, the city will again start using breathalyzer machines to test the alcohol levels of tipsy motorists.

According to a press release from Mayor Vince Gray, the breathalyzer program is returning on September 28, almost two years after it was discontinued due to calibration problems that produced faulty readings. In the wake of that announcement, some 400 DUI convictions had to be revisited, many of which were dismissed. D.C. received a $150,000 grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to purchase new equipment and resume the breath tests.

The program restarts in the wake of a beefed-up DUI law that took effect in July. Under the provisions of the new law, a first-time DUI could face up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, up from 90 days and a $300 fine. If those first-time offenders have a blood alcohol concentration of .20 percent or higher, a mandatory sentence of 10 days is applied, up from five days. For .25 percent the mandatory sentence goes from 10 to 15 days and for .30 percent it hits 20 days.

The new law will also create a mandatory scientific oversight of MPD’s breath-testing program, overseen by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.