Ignition Interlock 4 Alaska

Daily, I receive news items about the progress of ignition interlock legislation through various state’s legislative processes. I am thrilled to see that our lawmakers nationwide are making use of technology to increase public safety on the roads. This particular editorial from West Virginia is very well written and to the point.

Of note:

Like so many issues, public opinion is ahead of our policies. Sixty-five percent of the public supports requiring the installation of interlocks in the vehicles of all convicted drunken drivers. Even 82 percent of offenders believe interlocks are effective and fair. It’s time to make it law in every state, including West Virginia. (We can substitute “Alaska”!)

House Bill 19, Alaska’s own piece of legislation dealing with greatly expanding the use of ignition interlocks is awaiting scheduling to be heard in the Senate Finance Committee as of this writing. Perhaps next week…

Public opinion favors the additional sanction as a safety measure. MADD endorses the use of the technology for ALL offenders to save lives. The program is funded by the offenders themselves. All reasons to see this through THIS session!

Scroll down for more specific information on this topic.

A recently published study in the current issue of the journal Traffic Injury Prevention finds that requiring interlocks for first time DUI offenders reduces their recidivism rates by 60%. According to the author, Paul Marques, Phd.,

“The idea that there should be any important difference between the risk posed by a first offender and a repeat offender is unsupported. The average first offender has driven drunk many times before he or she was arrested. The big risk difference is between non-offenders and first offenders. The risk difference between first offenders and repeat offenders is small by comparison.”

You can find a summary of the study here. The article looks at first time offender data, economic benefits to society of interlocks as well as addressing the personal productivity of offenders.

According to the article,

“The authors also found an economic benefit to vehicle interlocks. One device costs the offender $2.25 per day, a small price for the public compared to the damage and destruction caused by DWI crashes. The study estimated that for every dollar spent on interlocks for first offenders, the public saves $3. “

“For so many years we’ve managed DWIs as criminals, but this is more then just a crime issue since many DWI offenders are alcohol dependent. Interlocks present an opportunity to help change behavior rather than simply punishing or incarcerating the offender,” Marques says. “It’s not enough to revoke a license – 75 percent of all people with revoked licenses drive anyway – but you don’t want to sentence an entire family to poverty if they’re dependent on that driver getting to and from his or her job. By installing an interlock, the risk that the DWI offender poses is controlled, and interlocks become a public benefit.”

The body of research continues to build substantiating the value of ignition interlocks.

Check out Issue 2 of the Ignition Interlock Informer on the newsletter page.