Ohio drivers with a record of previous DUI offenses will now be required to take a breath-alcohol test when stopped for suspicion of driving while drunk, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Sept. 30.

Legislation was introduced in part as a response to the deaths in 2005 of two college students whose car was struck by an 11-time convicted drunk driver. Before the law was enacted, repeat offenders had the right to refuse to take a breath test.

The new law mandates that repeat drunken drivers with a previous felony and either two DUI convictions in the previous six years or five DUI convictions in the last 20 years must take the breath-alcohol test when ordered by police. Drivers with one or two offenses still have the right to refuse to be tested.

"Driving is a privilege, not a right," said Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh. "There is no good reason to make this test optional."

A website with the names and photos of offenders with at least five previous convictions will also be established under the new law; the legislation also calls for use of monitoring devices and impoundment of vehicles for repeat offenders.

The Ohio Department of Public Safety estimates that there are more than 33,000 drivers with five or more DUI convictions in Ohio.