How Did the U.S. Improve with Drunk Driving in 2018?

Do you know how our nation has improved its impaired driving laws in 2018? With all the legislative changes and reports that have passed and published this year, we are setting ourselves up to creating safer roads in 2019 and beyond.

2018 came with several legislative victories that will strengthen the state’s DUI and Ignition Interlock laws. In fact, in the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility’s (FAAR) mid-year report, 18 states signed improved impaired driving bills into law, lining them up to continue preventing drunk driving incidents and fatalities.

Improving Ignition Interlock and Impaired Driving Laws

Iowa enacted a mandatory Ignition Interlock law for all DUI cases. Idaho and California will also be enacting mandatory Ignition Interlock “all-offender” laws in 2019, making the total number of states with this important type of law a resounding 32 with D.C. The steps we are taking now will mean saving lives and creating safer roads in the years to come.

Multiple studies from reputable sources also help urge legislators to change our impaired driving laws for the better. Since Ignition Interlocks have become more commonplace as a requirement in DUI cases, drunk driving deaths have dropped.

In New Mexico, the first state to require convicted drunk drivers to use an Ignition Interlock, drunk driving fatalities dropped by 36 percent since they enacted their Interlock law in 2005. When Arizona followed suit, the state’s drunk driving fatalities dropped by more than 46 percent.

2018’s Ignition Interlock and Drunk Driving Reports

• Every year, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) provides an annual report on state’s current legislative status to combat drunk driving. In 2018’s Report to the Nation, MADD continues to recommend that states enact “all-offender” Ignition Interlock laws, heightened law enforcement, more sobriety checkpoints and other legislative measures to prevent drunk driving.
• The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) published a report that wants to reach zero drunk driving deaths in the U.S. They propose raising taxes for alcohol purchases, lowering the BAC legal limit to .05 and enacting “all-offender” Ignition Interlock laws.
• Another study was published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety on state alcohol Ignition Interlock laws and fatal crashes. The study says that states with “all-offender” Ignition Interlock laws see a reduction of fatal vehicle crashes by 16 percent compared to states with little-to-no Ignition Interlock requirement.

The effectiveness of Ignition Interlocks is in the numbers. In 2017 alone, Ignition Interlocks prevented more than 350,000 drunk driving attempts throughout the U.S. Let’s continue to move forward and do our part to pass stronger Ignition Interlock laws as we enter 2019.

Smart Start wishes you a safe New Year’s! As the most reliable Ignition Interlock provider in the world, we will be available to our clients to get them back on the road safely and legally again.

Get Back on the Road with Smart Start

If you need to install an Ignition Interlock, Smart Start is here for you. Schedule your installation appointment now by calling (800) 831-3299 or by filling out our online form.