A new
report from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reveals how many drunk
drivers have been stopped by ignition interlock devices because they were
trying to drive drunk. Of course, these
statistics are only compiled from the states that require interlock devices for
all DUI offenders. MADD’s goal for
releasing such a report is to show the other non-interlock states that they
need to adopt a law requiring ignition interlock devices for all DUI
offenders. This study logged more than
10,000 blocked ignition interlock attempts in Virginia. To compare, states like New York and
Washington had more than 84,000 and more than 100,000 failed attempts
respectively.
In
Virginia, the study revealed that drunk driving deaths have fallen by 40% since
implementing laws that require ignition interlock devices for all DUI
offenders. This ranked Virginia second
out of 25 states that require interlocks for all DUI offenders.
MADD
strongly believes that, “no other option available today…can physically block
an offender from operating his or her vehicle after consuming alcohol.” Ignition interlock devices will prohibit
anyone who has any alcohol in their system from driving. The car cannot be started. However, these “other options,” such as
alcohol treatment, a license suspension, or an alcohol monitoring bracelet
cannot prevent somebody from driving drunk.
According to MADD, the 25 states that do not require an interlock device
for first time offenders must change their laws to allow safe travel on the
roads without others being at risk of injury or death due to a drunk driver.
If you are charged with
DUI or DWI in Virginia and would
like a free legal consultation or if you would like more information
on DUI or DWI please feel free to contact our office at (703)
916-1227 and schedule an appointment at our office in Alexandria
or throughout Virginia, or visit us on the web at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Criminal-Defense/DWI-DUI/
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