"Emma's Law" Gets Tougher on DUI Today

A law requiring more people convicted of drunken driving in South Carolina to use a locking device that won't let their car start if they have been drinking is going into effect.

The state Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services said it is ready to enforce "Emma's Law" when it becomes law Wednesday.

Anyone convicted of driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level over 0.15 percent now must use the device for six months, and any offenders convicted for a second time must use it for two years. The devices also have cameras to make sure someone else doesn't blow into it.

The law is named for a 6-year-old Lexington girl who died when a repeat-offender drunken driver struck her family's minivan as they drove to church.

Anderson Attorney Ronnie Cole was among five lawyers who helped write the legislation.