California bartenders train to reduce DUI driving under new state law

 California bartenders to pay for training to reduce DUI driving under new state lawBartenders Training to Help End DUI Driving

Sacramento, Calif. (July 1, 2022) — A new California law requires bartenders and their managers to complete training beginning in July and ending in August to help reduce drunk driving and other alcohol-related risks.

As of July 1st, all California on-premises alcohol beverage servers and their managers take a certification exam if they wish to continue to legally serve alcohol.

The new California bartender law was proposed a few years ago after a 21-year-old US Marine and drunk driver killed two young University of California San Diego medical students in a wrong-way crash in 2015. Jason Riley King drove drunk that night, despite attempts by his friends, a bar employee and other bar patrons to stop him. The aim of this new law is to make roads safer and reduce the number of DUI-related crash deaths. Some 9,288 people died in drunk driving crashes between 2009 and 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Also, the highest death rate is for people between ages 21 and 34.

This new California law — Assembly Bill 1221 — requires employees serving alcohol at drinking establishments and restaurants to become certified under the Responsible Beverage Service Training Program Act. This affects anyone responsible for checking identifications. It could be a person taking customer orders, as well as someone serving or delivering alcoholic beverages.  Roughly 56,000 businesses in California will have to meet these mandatory requirements. The businesses affected are ones that serve alcohol for on-site consumption including a bar, nightclub, restaurant, brewery, or any place that sells it.

Roughly 97,000 people are registered with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). All of them must complete this three-step process to become compliant with this new law effective beginning July 1, 2022 and ending in August.

The goal of the ABC approved Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training program is to give alcohol servers the knowledge and skills necessary to serve alcohol responsibly. The law aims to help prevent underage drinking and alcohol-related traffic collisions throughout the state and create safer communities for all Californians.

More than 9,000 people have died in alcohol-related crashes in California in the years 2009 to 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

There are no criminal penalties against either licensees or their employees for non-compliance.


Johnson Attorneys Group hopes this information is timely and helpful. However, if you have legal questions, please contact us as soon as possible. Our law firm is a proud, longtime supporter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

 

 

 

James Johnson

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