What is Leandra's Law?

On Nov. 18, 2009, the state of New York adopted Leandra's Law. It was given that name in honor of a young girl who perished in a car accident. She was just 11 years old at the time, and her name was Leandra Rosado.

The reason for the accident is that the person driving the vehicle was intoxicated. That woman was a friend of the family, and the mother of another child who was Leandra's friend. Leandra's Law has been described as a way for the state government to make the standard Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL) stronger.

Under this law, two main changes were made. First, it created a new charge, which is listed as a Class E felony --a very serious charge. People can be charged with this felony if they operate any type of motor vehicle while they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol if there is a passenger in the vehicle who is 15 years old or younger.

On top of that, when someone is convicted of the above or of driving with a blood alcohol content that exceeds .18, an ignition interlock device becomes mandatory. This is a device that prevents a car from starting until the driver blows into it and is found to have a BAC of .00. This device must be used on the car for at least a year, though court orders can change the duration.

As you can see, if your case falls into this category, it's incredibly important to know what Leandra's Law is and how it can change the sentencing when compared to other DUI cases.