A new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) supports mandatory installation of ignition interlocks on the vehicles of all drunk drivers, including first-time offenders, a key component of the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®. Researchers for the IIHS study examined the driving records of convicted drunk drivers in Washington State, and found that the recidivism rate fell 12 percent among those affected by the law expansion. The IIHS estimates that if all Washington DUI offenders had the interlocks installed at the time of the study, the recidivism rate would have been reduced by nearly half.
There are currently 15 states throughout the U.S. that require ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers. In Arizona and Oregon, laws requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers have contributed significantly to the number of drunk driving deaths dropping 51 and 52 percent, respectively.
Studies show that a first-time convicted drunk driver is not a first-time offender, but rather it is simply the first time they have been caught. In fact, first-time offenders have driven drunk an average of 80 times before they are convicted.
More than 10,000 people are killed and another 350,000 are injured in drunk driving crashes each year in the U.S. This IIHS study confirms that requiring all convicted drunk drivers to use an ignition interlock has the power to save lives and prevent injuries across the country. MADD urges states to follow in Washington’s footsteps and enact this lifesaving legislation.
For more information about ignition interlocks and MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, visit www.madd.org/campaign.
Submitted by Girl Voice at 08:09 AM on March 16, 2012
Submitted by perry at 09:32 AM on March 8, 2012