AAA Backs Ignition Interlock Recommendation
AAA said, in a news release, that it is supporting the National Transportation Safety Board's recommendation of ignition interlocks.
According to the organization, more than nine in ten drivers consider it a serious threat to their personal safety when others drink and drive, and nearly all (97 percent) surveyed find it unacceptable for a driver to get behind the wheel when they have had too much to drink. To prevent these dangers, stated AAA, nearly eight in ten Americans support requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted DUI offenders, even if it's their first conviction.
These devices, breathalyzers installed in motor vehicles, are being recommended for all people found guilty of driving under the influence. "I commend AAA for stepping up for safety," said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. "Technologies, such as ignition interlocks, will reduce alcohol-related crashes on our nation's roadways."
The NTSB previous to this announcement called for mandatory interlocks, something Mothers Against Drunk Driving began pushing in 2006.
Interlocks, for which offenders pay installation costs and a monthly fee, should only be required for repeat offenders and those whose blood-alcohol content is egregiously high, says a coalition of restaurants and alcoholic beverage distributors. That group, which won’t disclose its members, is the chief voice of opposition to interlocks for first-time offenders.
It’s up to states to enact traffic-safety laws, including those requiring interlocks. But pushing at a national level for change is a tried-and-true model with notches of success for initiatives including mandatory seat belt use, lowering the limit for drunk driving to .08 blood-alcohol content, and raising the legal drinking age to 21.