Summary: The Mothers Against Drunk Driving

How many times have you been in the car with a drunk driver? Many young kids get in the car with drunk drivers and don’t even know it. For example, my good friend got in the car with a drunk driver and was in an accident. She ended up being hospitalized for many days. Even when she was released from the hospital, she was not the same. She had to go through months of physical therapy. Many people think that it is just “unlucky” to get stopped for drunk driving, or operating while intoxicated as it is called by the Michigan State Police. However, an average drunk driver drinks and drives at least 80 times before being arrested. At times, drivers who have been arrested for operating while intoxicated repeatedly are sometimes outfitted

There are two types of deterrence: individual or specific deterrence, and general deterrence. Individual or specific deterrence seeks to deter the offender from re-offending. General deterrence seeks to deter the public from criminal behavior through the punishment of offenders. “Deterrence is based on the perceived certainty, severity, and celerity of detection and sanction” (Vingilis 645). People who support legal measures are calling for harsher laws and tougher punishments. Some of the proposed measures are: 1. Anyone convicted of drunk driving will be required to pay large fines (starting at $5,000 for a first offense). 2. Anyone convicted of drunk driving will be required to spend at least some time in jail or prison. 3. All convicted drivers will be required to have yellow license plates on their cars so that other people will know who they are and what they have done. 4. Anyone convicted will automatically lose their driver’s license for one year. 5. Surprise roadblocks will be set up and police will stop all drivers and test them for drunk driving. 6. All convicted drivers who are alcoholics will be required to have psychological treatment. 7. An ignition interlock system will be installed in convicted driver’s vehicles. 8. The possible seizure and sale of a repeat offender’s vehicle, and 9. Lowering the blood alcohol level from .10% to .08%, since a person can still be drunk at .08%.

3. the installation of an ignition interlock device on your car (to disable the car if you have consumed alcohol),

More important, this law probably won’t do much to reduce drunken driving accident. According to NTSB cites’ statistics, only 8 % of all drivers between .05 to .08 BAC involved in fatal accidents. And that number doesn't even report whether alcoholic impairment caused the accident. NTSB says that .05 is reasonable because driving performance would be affected before a driver reaches .08. That is definitely correct. But plenty of factors could influence driving performance. Medications, electronic distractions, lost sleep, and missed meals could all be the factors of causing accident.

Driving under the Influence is a dangerous trend and is known to cause many critical accidents and deaths which could have been easily prevented. Even though the consequences for DUI arrests are strict, they seem to not be effective enough. The toll of alcohol-related deaths, repeated offenders, and accidents is still rising, leaving the streets dangerous and families devastated. Over half the drivers arrested for drunk driving in the nation, are repeated offenders. I stand strongly against drunk drivers; They are a threat to themselves and society and believe that they should be taught a tough lesson when caught. Therefore, the charges for Driving Under the Influence laws need to

In my opinion this is a very good idea to add to vehicles because this would decrease deaths due to drunk driving dramatically. Ignition Interlocks is basically the same thing as Advance Vehicle Technology because it would force convicted drunk drivers to do a sober breath sample before driving. Drunk drivers don’t have excuses to drive under the influence when their is public transportation and ridesharing app, or you can have a non-drinking driver that can safely take you home. “To end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking.” MADD establishes Victim Impact Panels, it allows victims to tell their story and hopefully make an effort in stopping drunk drivers from driving while being under the influence. Tie One On For Safety has been MADD’s longest campaign stating that everyone should fasten their seatbelt before they start driving, this year MADD celebrates their 30th anniversary of the campaign.

The policy being addressed is Idaho Code§18-8004 which states that it is unlawful to drive under the influence of drugs, alcohol or any other intoxicating substances in the state of Idaho. In 1984, Idaho Code§18-8004 was adopted as a state policy in Idaho. Currently, the annual deaths and crashes due to driving under the influence are annually decreasing in the United States as well as in Idaho. The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending getting the legal BAC limit in all 50 states lowered to 0.05 percent, while Mothers Against Drunk Driving is recommending it stay at 0.08 percent. Bases on research, it is important that states and organization’s do as much as they can to get the legal BAC limit lowered to 0.05 nationwide.

GHSA, an association that assists programs to remit highway safety issues, recommends all states to “maintain the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level for DUI at 0.8 per se or lower” (). Effective tools such as ignition interlock, passive alcohol sensors, breath test devices, in-car video cameras, and other devices are used to detect alcohol have GHSA approval, support, in fact, all devices are shown to be very successful to identify drunk drivers. Vehicle sanctions, open container laws, designated driver programs, server training programs to just name a few implemented to further prevent the issues of DIU.

After this one year period you will be required to have an ignition interlock device in your vehicle(s) for an additional one year period. You will be required to provide proof of installation to the DMV before they will reinstate your driver’s license.

Not only will lowering the drinking age increase the amount of drunk driving, but will more than likely increase the rate of accidents caused by drinking and driving. Some minors may even be intimidated by the law, and removing would take away the barrier and show them that it is okay for them to drink at the age of eighteen or nineteen. With this influence in place, the level of drunk driving would decrease, especially in the youth, who are mostly affected by the law, and along with the rate of drinking and driving, the rate of car accidents caused by drunk driving would (presumably) decrease, resulting in the more young lives saved.

In response to an estimated thirteen thousand people being killed each year in drunk driving crashes (Weir), the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles’ Campaign to Prevent Drunk Driving is proposing a project that will focus on four important methods in order to combat this terrible crime: require ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers to prove they are sober before driving; support law enforcement to discourage people from driving drunk; support the expansion of motor vehicle technology to determine whether or not a driver is above the legal limit of 0.08 before driving; and encourage a Drinking Driver Program that will educate those already convicted of a drunk driving on their alcohol choices. With the approval of the Head of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and an

Another vital step towards safer roadways took place recently when Pennsylvania’s Governor Wolf signed into law new restrictions on first time Driving Under the Influence (DUI) offenders. This law states that first time DUI offenders will now be legally required to use a breathalyzer-equipped lock in order to operate their vehicle. According to a University of Pennsylvania researchers, the expectation is a 15% reduction in alcohol-related highways deaths within a few years of the law’s inception.

Sobriety checkpoint programs are defined as procedures in which law enforcement officers restrict traffic flow in a designated, specific location so they can check drivers for signs of alcohol impairment. If officers detect any type of incapacitation based upon their observations, they can perform additional testing, such as field sobriety or breath analysis tests (Greene, 2003). To this end, agencies using checkpoints must have a written policy as a directive for their officers to follow.

There are other ways to test for high alcohol levels, but a breathalyzer is a more convenient device used for estimating content of alcohol from a sample of one’s breath. The Urban Insurance Agency indicates that while statistics are expected to increase, legislators are getting alarmed to mandate everybody’s vehicle to be equipped with a breathalyzer (SRInstitute). Having them in everybody’s vehicle can save lives and protect us from the dangers of other peoples foolishness by not letting others and ourselves get behind the wheel when intoxicated. Some people would be offended by having a breathalyzer in their car because they may not even drink at all. Even someone who does not drink still should have an interlock system in their car because if their friend or someone else drives the car at some point where they are intoxicated beyond the limits it could save their life and help prevent the risk of having an accident and harming others in the process.

There are so many good and excellent benefits of ignition interlock systems. There are also bad benefits of ignition interlock systems. An Ignition interlock system is a device that requires, (makes) a person breathe into a breathalyzer to start a car . A breathalyzer is a device that a person has to breath in and it measures a person's blood-alcohol level . According to Ignition Interlock 101, theses are the steps, “The driver blows into the mouthpiece. Next, the fuel cell inside the ignition interlock device analyzes the blood alcohol concentration. If the blood alcohol is above the predetermined limit, the fuel cell triggers a relay to stay open, and the car will not start. If the blood alcohol concentration is within the predetermined