Alaska Legislature Passes MADD-Supported DUI Bill
On Monday, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin signed into law a measure that requires all individuals convicted of driving under the influence to install an ignition interlock device in their vehicles. The bill, H.B. 19, passed in both the Alaska House and Senate unanimously. According to the national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Glynn Birch, "This new law will make it harder for offenders to kill and injure others on our roadways".
An ignition interlock device is a breath test that is linked to the vehicle's ignition system. When a convicted drunk driver wishes to start his or her vehicle, the individual is required to first blow into the device. The vehicle will not start if the amount of alcohol in the individual's system exceeds the preset limit. Some ignition interlock devices also have the ability to be set for running retests, which require a driver to provide breath tests at regular intervals during the drive, which helps to prevent motorists from asking a sober friend to start the car. If a driver fails a running retest, the vehicle's horn will honk and lights will flash, alerting law enforcement to the individual. However, the vehicle is not programmed to turn off if an individual fails a running retest, due to safety reasons.
By signing H.B. 19 into law, Alaska has joined the ranks of seven other states, New Mexico, Arizona, Illinois, Louisiana, Washington, Nebraska, and Colorado, who are attempting to further the goals of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. The Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving has four essential elements, which include: mandatory ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers, increased law enforcement efforts, advanced vehicle technology that would make it impossible for a drunk person to start a vehicle, and public support led by concerned citizens nationwide. The MADD Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving was initiated in November 2006, with the express goal of eliminating drunk driving permanently.
MADD has supported the Alaska legislature's decision to sign H.B. 19 into law by providing statistics indicating that in 2006, twenty seven percent of traffic fatalities in the state of Alaska involved an individual driving under the influence of alcohol. According to the Alaska legislature and MADD, requiring individuals convicted of DUI to install these ignition interlock devices is a necessary step in order to permanently decrease the number of driving under the influence related accidents and fatalities.
However, the recent nationwide trend of heightening penalties for individuals convicted of DUI has not received entirely positive reviews. For every individual who is in favor of the new law designed to cut down on the number of individuals who drive while under the influence of alcohol, there is another individual who sees the law as an overzealous attack on an individual's personal freedom.
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