A NEW traffic law in a major state aims to stop drivers with deadly histories from making the same mistakes over and over.
Prison sentences for certain offenses are now doubled, and other liberties which drivers could once exercise without repercussion are now punishable by law.
Drivers will now be forced to comply with certain tests during traffic stops, or face escalated charges (stock image)[/caption]
Repeat DUI and BUI offenders, as well as vehicular homicide offenders, are the main targets of the new law (stock image)[/caption]
The new driving law will reform how Florida prosecutes repeat DUI and BUI offenders, as well as persons previously convicted of vehicular homicide.
These maximum sentences will be doubled from 15 to 30 years once the law goes into effect statewide on October 1.
The law will also make the first instance of refusing a breath or urine test during a DUI stop a misdemeanor crime.
Previously, the first instance was classified as a civil infraction, with only a second offense raising it to a misdemeanor.
Despite the legislative and public support the law has received, there are some arguing against the law, calling the territory it covers “uncharted waters” for how rare the situation is.
“The vast majority, almost all of defense attorneys, have never encountered a situation like this,” said Aaron Wayt, a DUI defense attorney and legislative co-chair for the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, to The Independent Florida Alligator.
In Florida, a person convicted of DUI manslaughter have their licenses suspended for life, making a repeat offense unlikely.
However, persons charged with vehicular homicide are legally able to get back on the road at one point or another under current legislature.
Wayt also took issue with the law’s impact on refusing breath and urine tests, something he often advised people to not agree to but now legally cannot.
“We, and the rest of the general public, were not allowed to weigh in on whether this change was good or not,” said Wayt of this part of the law.
Known as Trenton’s Law, the bill is named after 18-year-old Trenton Stewart who was killed in a 71 mph crash after being hit by a driver under the influence of cocaine and marijuana.
That driver, Ariel Monteagudo, previously served 10 years in prison for killing 15-year-old Christina Ramos while recklessly driving in 2001. For killing Stewart, Monteagudo will serve 12 years in prison and will never be legally allowed to drive again.
The Ramos and Stewart families chose to work together in creating and advocating for the new law and its reform, hoping to prevent another tragedy like those that befell them.
Mandi and Robert Stewart, Trenton’s parents, argue these situations are more common than people think and are advocating for a database to track them, which currently doesn’t exist.
New October driving laws and rules
New driving laws coming on October 1, 2025:
- Maryland drivers who go 30 mph or higher over the posted speed limit will be charged with reckless driving and hit with up to 60 days in jail and $1,000 in fines. The same law also introduces new speeding cameras and a graduated fine scale, going as high as $425 for going 40 mph or higher over the limit.
- Maryland will also begin revoking the licenses of motorists convicted of impaired driving if they fled the scene of or caused death or life-threatening injury to someone involved in the incident they were convicted for. Application for reinstatement is possible to those affected after a certain time.
- Florida drivers with certain front-facing aftermarket lighting setups who are believed to be imitating or impersonating law enforcement while driving will be hit with up to $5,000 in fines and up to five years in prison.
- Florida will also begin forcing drivers who crash into property or another vehicle and flee the scene to pay for any damage they’ve caused.
- Another new Florida law will punish drivers who lead law enforcement on car chases, raising these offenses by one classification level and increasing their jail time accordingly. Repeat offenders will also have their sentences increased by 50%.
- The final new law for Florida will seek to increase the max sentences for repeat DUI and BUI offenders to 30 years from 15 years. The law will also make refusing a urine or breath test a misdemeanor offense, with repeat offenses raising the degree.
- Connecticut will officially classify reckless driving as a traffic offense from October 1 onward, defining it as driving at speeds of 100 mph or higher. Offenders can be hit with up to $1,000 in fines, a year in prison, and may have their vehicles impounded at the arresting officer’s discretion.
- Motorcycle drivers in Connecticut also have a new law to look out for, which will raise the mandatory helmet age threshold from 18 to 21 years old. Violators will be hit with fines ranging from $90 to $250, and the law also applies to riders of e-bikes with batteries higher than 750 watts.
- Connecticut will restrict predatory towing practices, which include forcing tow companies to take credit card payments, making it more difficult for them to sell a car in their possession, and restricting what they can tow vehicles for.
- Hoboken, New Jersey, will begin implementing traffic cameras focused on sending out parking tickets to violators, doing so without giving them any immediate notification. Violations the cameras are monitoring include double parking, blocking bike lanes, stopping in bike zones, and improper use of loading zones.
“[Monteagudo] had been given so many opportunities or somehow continued to find a way to slip through the cracks. There were so many red flags,” Mandi argued with respect to how a better system could’ve prevented her son’s death.
Mandi added that in order to receive bipartisan support on the law, it had to have at least one preventative measure, with the update to breath and urine test refusals being the one agreed upon.
OCTOBER DRIVING OVERHAULS
In addition to Trenton’s Law being enacted in Florida, a new law across the state is making some aftermarket lighting setups punishable by up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
Maryland has also enacted several new laws, including one that officially categorizes reckless driving as an offense and introduces new speed cameras with fines reaching as high as $425.
Connecticut has similarly classified reckless driving as an official traffic offense, with punishments reaching as high as $1,000 fines and impounding the offending vehicle.
While many new October laws are targeting motorists, Connecticut has introduced another bill seeking to restrict predatory towing practices and give drivers more rights when dealing with tow companies.
Trenton Stewart, the namesake for Trenton’s Law[/caption]
Trenton’s parents, Mandi and Robert Stewart[/caption]
