Richard Roth, PhD, the Executive Director of Impact DWI, Inc., a community action and advocacy organization with the mission of reducing drunk driving and raising community awareness of the dangers of alcohol abuse in New Mexico, recently released the seventh annual survey of currently-installed ignition interlocks. The survey is a compilation of data from the thirteen interlock companies and forty-three state sources in the US.
Highlights of the Report
There are approximately 279,000 interlocks-currently installed in the US.
Interlock installations have increased ~14% since last year.
Approximately 20% of those arrested for drunk driving (and about 28% of those convicted for drunk driving) are installing interlocks.
There are about nine currently-installed interlocks per 10,000 residents in the US.
Ten states have more than 9,000 currently-installed interlocks. Twenty eight states have fewer than 4,000.
The five states with the largest number of currently-installed interlocks are Texas, Washington, California, Colorado and Arizona.
The five states with the largest number of currently-installed interlocks per capita are New Mexico, Washington, Colorado, Alaska and Arizona.
This is excellent progress for MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®, which aims to require all drunk drivers to prove they are sober with ignition interlock devices before they can start their car.However, more remains to be done when less than a third of all drunk drivers have interlocks installed on their vehicles. We need to pass ignition interlock laws in every state, and you can help by contacting your lawmakers.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving praises Nassau County for their recent two-week sweep that resulted in the arrest of 25 convicted drunk drivers who were in violation of court-ordered ignition interlock requirements. The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and the Nassau County Department of Probation are a stellar example of a successful coordinated effort to enforce lifesaving laws requiring convicted drunk drivers to prove they are sober before their car will start.
According to the CDC, ignition interlocks have been proven effective in reducing repeat drunk driving offenses by 67 percent. Unfortunately, less than a quarter of all drunk driving offenders nationwide get ignition interlock devices, either due to lack of a law requiring the device or failure in the implementation of all offender interlock laws.
Laws requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers are a critical component of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®. The recently signed federal transportation bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), fully endorsed MADD’s Campaign, in part by providing financial incentives to states that pass all-offender ignition interlock laws. Read the blog post about MAP-21 for more info.
Nassau County’s commitment to enforcing the state’s ignition interlock law will undoubtedly result in lives saved and injuries prevented, and MADD encourages other counties across the country to follow Nassau County’s lead, making sure that convicted drunk drivers are not endangering public safety by driving a vehicle without an interlock.
A new, limited-edition collection of neckties to benefit Mothers Against Drunk Driving will be showing up in select Macy’s stores, thanks to Stonehenge Strategic Group, PVH and Macy’s. The “Cocktail Expressions” collection features designs based on the molecular structure of popular alcoholic beverages as seen under a microscope—beer, wine, tequila, champagne, scotch, vodka, gin and tonic, kamikaze, bloody mary and screwdriver. Each Cocktail Expressions tie bears a garment tag telling which alcoholic beverage the tie pattern represents and a message from MADD warning about the dangers of drinking and driving.
These PVH-brand ties were created by Irwin Sternberg of Stonehenge Strategic Group, creator of the popular Jerry Garcia, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis and other cause-related collections of neckwear. Additionally, three percent of the net sales of the Cocktail Expressions ties, available exclusively at select Macy’s stores, will be donated to MADD.
The award-winning Cocktail Expressions collection of neckwear was first launched at the Macy’s flagship store in New York on August 9, 1994. Now, 18 years later, an all-new collection of ties is being launched to raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving.
This is truly the only safe way to “tie one on” before driving.
The last weeks of summer, including Labor Day weekend, can be an especially dangerous time on America’s roadways. Over Labor Day weekend in 2010, 147 people were killed in drunk driving crashes nationwide, representing 36 percent of all highway fatalities.
In an effort to get drunk drivers off the road, raise public awareness about the dangers of drunk driving, and most importantly, to save more lives on our roadways, the national impaired-driving enforcement crackdown—Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over— will be held from August 17th to September 3rd.
Supporting the heroes who keep us safe on the road is a critical part of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®. Statistics show that when the public’s perceived risk of being arrested for impaired driving increases, the less likely they are to do so. Increased saturation or roving patrols, as well as sobriety checkpoints, remind the public of the legal consequences that can come from driving drunk.
As people across the country celebrate the end of summer this Labor Day with parades and festivals, MADD urges everyone to stay safe on the road during a time of year when drunk driving deaths typically increase. There are several ways you can help keep your loved ones safe this Labor Day holiday:
Plan for a safe way home for you and your loved ones before consuming alcohol
If you plan to be on the road during this potentially dangerous time period, please be careful, and remember to spread the word that driving impaired is simply not worth the risk, so don’t take the chance. Together with law enforcement, we can put an end to the 100 percent preventable deaths and injuries caused by drunk driving.
Friends, family and community leaders gathered in Huntington, Long Island on August 10th for the unveiling of a bronze statue of Brianna Titcomb, age 13, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2005. The statue resides in Breezy Park, which was named for Brianna. Town Supervisor Frank Petrone, along with Councilman Mark Mayoka, Michael Fleicsher of the CSH Huntington Soccer club, and Brianna’s family — John, Dawn and Brett Titcomb — gathered to thank the community for their contributions in the formation of Breezy Park.
John Titcomb, Brianna’s father, emphasized the importance of having a statue of Brianna at the park by saying, “We hope that this will stimulate discussion within families and between peers about the senseless act of distracted driving and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. We think this park is a statement of commitment by the community to raise awareness and change behavior that affects us all.”
The sculpture was the work of Michael Alfano, an East Meadow native who has created numerous public art works, including, "Stand Up, Speak Out," which was made with the support of the Long Island chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Michael Fleischer, Frank Petrone, Titcom Family and Mark Mayoka
John Titcom, Brianna's father, speaks at the event and Family and Town Supervisor, Frank Perone, unveils the statue.
