Albany Passes Stricter Drunk Driving Law BUFFALO (wned) - In Albany, the Senate and Assembly have approved a bill dubbed "Leandra's Law," in memory of an 11-year-old girl from New York City who died last month in a drunken driving-caused crash in Manhattan.

Leandra Rosado was picked up by the mother of one of Leandra's friends being driven to a sleepover. Police say the woman was drunk when she crashed her car. Leandra was killed.

The measure makes driving drunk with a child in the vehicle a felony. With Leandra's father and officials looking on, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver expressed
his deepest sympathy.

"My heart and the hearts of this conference go out to...Leandra'a family and to every parent who has lost a child or seen their child injured because of drunken driving," said Silver.

Leandra's Law also requires those convicted of DWI for the first time to have what is called an interlock device, which measures the alcohol content of a driver's breath and prevents the engine from starting if it detects too high a level.

The measure is expected to be on Governor Paterson's desk by Friday.

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