GLEN BURNIE, Md. (November 2, 2011) -- Maryland officials recently announced that the 2011 Drunk Driving Reduction Act, implemented on October 1, will expand Maryland's ignition interlock program by requiring more drivers to participate. Currently, Maryland has the highest per-capita participation in ignition interlock on the East Coast with numbers that have nearly doubled in the past few years.
Over the last 3 years, Maryland's ignition interlock program has increased 66%. In November 2008, there were 5,500 participants in the program. One year later, there were 7,971 participants. Currently, Maryland estimates that there are almost 9,100 participants in the MVA's ignition interlock program, and it is expected to grow even larger. This increase in participation was promoted by the education of judges and law enforcement about the effectiveness of the device and now will be enhanced even further under the new legislation passed by the State Legislature.
"Our commitment to impaired driving prevention and our efforts to increase awareness of the consequences of impaired driving are stronger than ever. If you drink and drive, you will get caught and the odds have increased dramatically that you will be required to install an ignition interlock device on your vehicle," said Maryland Motor Vehicle Administrator John Kuo at a media event today at the Maryland State Police Barrack in Jessup.
Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel Marcus L. Brown and National Highway Traffic Safety Regional Administrator Dr. Beth Baker also participated in the media event which highlighted the changes in Maryland's drunk driving laws and demonstrated an ignition interlock devise.
"Unfortunately, Maryland police officers deal almost daily with the tragedies caused by a drunk driver," Colonel Brown said. "One of the most frustrating experiences for police officers is to arrest a drunk driver for repeating the same offense. This new law will reduce the opportunity to re-offend, while helping us decrease injuries and deaths and increase safety on Maryland roads."
"We need to use all weapons in our arsenal in our fight to prevent drunk driving. We have the technology on our side, we just need to use it - as much and as often as possible," said Dr. Baker. Research shows that ignition interlocks, while installed on an offender's vehicle, reduce recidivism among both first-time and repeat DWI offenders."
Officials also announced that Maryland is the first state in the nation to automate its comprehensive ignition interlock program, managing the program through the aggressive use of technology. Currently, five vendors in the State of Maryland have been approved by the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) to operate interlock programs. Drivers who participate must report to the interlock vendor every 30 days to have their devices calibrated and to have their monitoring data electronically downloaded and sent to the MVA. Program violations are automatically flagged from the data that is sent by the ignition interlock providers.
Representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the American Automobile Association also attended the media event in support of the message. The 2011 Drunk Driving Reduction Act allows many more drivers, who have been found to drive while intoxicated, to drive if they install an ignition interlock devise. The new law also sanctions drivers who do not complete their ignition interlock period or drive without the ignition interlock device that has been installed in their vehicle.
The law makes it possible for drunk driving violators to enroll in an ignition interlock program even if they initially chose suspension. The program is required for six months for a first ignition interlock restriction, one year for a second ignition interlock restriction, and three years for a third or subsequent ignition interlock restriction.
"Over the past few years, AAA Mid-Atlantic has advocated in Annapolis for mandatory ignition interlocks for drunk driving offenders. While ignition interlocks are no panacea, they are certainly an integral part in the solution to address impaired driving, by keeping drunk drivers off the roads and subsequently saving lives in Maryland. We commend the legislature and the MVA for the expansion of this important tool to fight drunk driving in our State," said Ragina C. Averella, Public and Government Affairs Manager, AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Drivers who are now required to enroll in the ignition interlock program or face suspension or revocation under the 2011 Drunk Driving Reduction Act include:
-- Drivers who are under 21 and violate their alcohol restrictions,
-- Drivers who have a second alcohol conviction of any kind within 5 years,
-- Or drivers who register a blood alcohol content of .15 or greater and are subsequently convicted of driving under the influence.
Drivers who have high blood alcohol convictions are required not only to participate in the ignition interlock program, they must successfully complete it. Others who violate the ignition interlock program face a fine of $1,000 and /or 1 year in prison for a first offense and a fine of $1,000 and /or 2 years in prison for a second offense.
It has been observed that drivers who drink and drive will do so on suspended licenses. The Maryland Ignition Interlock Program is designed to eliminate the drunk driver from the road. Studies have found that up to 65 percent of people with suspended licenses still drive. It is believed that ignition interlock devices will help ensure that all offenders will not drink and drive again.
Maryland has long recognized that an ignition interlock program is a valuable deterrent that saves lives and first enacted an ignition interlock program in 1989.
SOURCE
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Showing posts with label ignition interlock devices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ignition interlock devices. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
MADD not impressed by Vallario drunk-driving bill
A bill introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Joseph Vallario to deal with the issue of installing ignition interlock devices on the vehicles owned by convicted drunk drivers is being dismissed by MADD Maryland as accomplishing nothing that doesn't exist under current law.
"Twelve pages of nothing," MADD Maryland executive director Caroline Cash calls it.
The bill, which had 30 co-sponsors from both parties, is one of several that have been introduced during the current General Assembly session on the topic of ignition interlock technology, which prevents a motorist from starting a car after consuming alcohol.
MADD supports legislation that would make installation of such devices mandatory for all those convicted on driving under the influence. Such a bill passed thhe Senate last year only to die in the Judiciary Committee when Vallario declined to bring it up for a vote.
This year the Prince George's County Democrat has weighed in with his own bill, but MADD isn't impressed. "It does nothing to increase the use if interlock -- let alone save lives and prevent injuries," said Caroline Cash, executive director of MADD Maryland.
Cash said she had at first been encouraged when she heard Vallario was proposing his own bill. But once interlock proponents read the full bill, they realized there was nothing mandatory about it, she said.
MADD supports a bill called the Drunk Driving Elimination Act, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Jamie Raskin and in the House by Del. Benjamin F. Kramer, both Montgomery County Democrats.
Cash said MADD would raise the issue with House Speaker Michael E. Busch, who decided to retain Vallario as chairman despite protests last year from women delegates over the treatment of witnesses before the committee. She said the chairman's proposed bill isn't even as strong as the compromise legislation MADD rejected as too weak last year.
The Vallario bill would require drivers who are found to have a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 percent or more -- or those who refuse an alcohol test -- to enter an ignition interlock program in order to avert a driver's license suspension. But Cash said that is no more than drivers are permitted to do now, adding that many drivers simply accept the suspension but continue driving anyway.
Vallario's role is crucial because as chairman he can prevent any bill he opposes from getting a vote in committee. In practical terms only the speaker, who appoints committee chairs, has the authority to tell him to bring a bill to a vote.
SOURCE
"Twelve pages of nothing," MADD Maryland executive director Caroline Cash calls it.
The bill, which had 30 co-sponsors from both parties, is one of several that have been introduced during the current General Assembly session on the topic of ignition interlock technology, which prevents a motorist from starting a car after consuming alcohol.
MADD supports legislation that would make installation of such devices mandatory for all those convicted on driving under the influence. Such a bill passed thhe Senate last year only to die in the Judiciary Committee when Vallario declined to bring it up for a vote.
This year the Prince George's County Democrat has weighed in with his own bill, but MADD isn't impressed. "It does nothing to increase the use if interlock -- let alone save lives and prevent injuries," said Caroline Cash, executive director of MADD Maryland.
Cash said she had at first been encouraged when she heard Vallario was proposing his own bill. But once interlock proponents read the full bill, they realized there was nothing mandatory about it, she said.
MADD supports a bill called the Drunk Driving Elimination Act, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Jamie Raskin and in the House by Del. Benjamin F. Kramer, both Montgomery County Democrats.
Cash said MADD would raise the issue with House Speaker Michael E. Busch, who decided to retain Vallario as chairman despite protests last year from women delegates over the treatment of witnesses before the committee. She said the chairman's proposed bill isn't even as strong as the compromise legislation MADD rejected as too weak last year.
The Vallario bill would require drivers who are found to have a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 percent or more -- or those who refuse an alcohol test -- to enter an ignition interlock program in order to avert a driver's license suspension. But Cash said that is no more than drivers are permitted to do now, adding that many drivers simply accept the suspension but continue driving anyway.
Vallario's role is crucial because as chairman he can prevent any bill he opposes from getting a vote in committee. In practical terms only the speaker, who appoints committee chairs, has the authority to tell him to bring a bill to a vote.
SOURCE
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Will technology stop drunk drivers?
Senator Sherrod Brown and others believe it can.
Cleveland) - U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio is calling for passage of the Roads Safe Act.
The measure would fund a program to create a device that would prevent intoxicated motorists from being able to start a vehicle.
Speaking at Cleveland Police headquarters, Brown explained the bill would authorize $12 million in annual funding for five years for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety program.
He says the funding would be provided through money that the federal government has already appropriated for road safety initiatives, rendering the bill cost-neutral.
Supporting the legislation is Julie Leggett, the executive director of the northeast Ohio chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Leggett contends drunk driving has reached epidemic proportions in Ohio, with 122-thousand drivers on state roads with 3 or more DUI's, the third worst record in the nation.
Leggett doesn't feel it will be difficult to create technology that prevents a car from starting when its driver is intoxicated.
Also supporting the bill is Oxford Township firefighter Steve Westcott, who helped Erie County police apprehend a driver who is now facing his 11th DUI.
Westcott says he has seen the effects of drunk driving first hand as a first responder. He feels $12 million is a small price to pay for potentially saving many lives.
Brown claims existing devices, such as ignition locks, can be expensive and obtrusive. The main goal of the legislation is to make the new device smaller and less noticeable, so that parents could choose to install it in the car of their high school- or college-age child.
He maintains the legislation does not require this technology to be installed in any car, but would give families and law enforcement a new means of combating drunk driving.
Previous versions of the bill were supported by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Distilled Spirits Council, General Motors, and Nationwide Insurance.
SOURCE
Cleveland) - U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio is calling for passage of the Roads Safe Act.
The measure would fund a program to create a device that would prevent intoxicated motorists from being able to start a vehicle.
Speaking at Cleveland Police headquarters, Brown explained the bill would authorize $12 million in annual funding for five years for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety program.
He says the funding would be provided through money that the federal government has already appropriated for road safety initiatives, rendering the bill cost-neutral.
Supporting the legislation is Julie Leggett, the executive director of the northeast Ohio chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Leggett contends drunk driving has reached epidemic proportions in Ohio, with 122-thousand drivers on state roads with 3 or more DUI's, the third worst record in the nation.
Leggett doesn't feel it will be difficult to create technology that prevents a car from starting when its driver is intoxicated.
Also supporting the bill is Oxford Township firefighter Steve Westcott, who helped Erie County police apprehend a driver who is now facing his 11th DUI.
Westcott says he has seen the effects of drunk driving first hand as a first responder. He feels $12 million is a small price to pay for potentially saving many lives.
Brown claims existing devices, such as ignition locks, can be expensive and obtrusive. The main goal of the legislation is to make the new device smaller and less noticeable, so that parents could choose to install it in the car of their high school- or college-age child.
He maintains the legislation does not require this technology to be installed in any car, but would give families and law enforcement a new means of combating drunk driving.
Previous versions of the bill were supported by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Distilled Spirits Council, General Motors, and Nationwide Insurance.
SOURCE
Monday, October 25, 2010
Beefed up Patrols for Halloween
Halloween is a time of year for more than one kind of spirits.
There’s more drinking and thus more drunken driving in what’s become a costumed, hearty party season, according to state traffic experts. “It’s one of our busiest times of the year,” said State Police Inspector Gene Adamczyk of the Lansing office.
So police in Michigan will step up drunk driving patrols this week and Sunday, Halloween, Adamczyk said. That includes county and local police departments. Federal money will pay for extra overtime for road patrols, said Ann Readett, spokesperson for the Michigan Office of Highway and Safety Planning.
Also, a new drunk driving law takes effect Sunday with stiffer penalties for first-time convictions of driving with blood alcohol contents of 0.17 grams or higher. Driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 is considered drunk driving. Those convicted of driving with high levels of blood alcohol would have their license suspended automatically. They also could face 180 days in jail, bigger fines, six points on their driving record and mandatory alcohol treatment.
A restricted license could be granted after 45 days if a driver agrees to install a breath alcohol ignition device on the vehicle they drive. The driver must blow into the device, as with a Breathalylzer, to start the vehicle. The car won’t start if the blood alcohol level registers .025 or higher. Currently, ignition interlock devices are used only for repeat drunk drivers. The driver must blow into the device periodically while driving as well. If it measures alcohol, the car’s horn will sound and its lights will flash until it’s turned off. Then, the driver must contact a probation officer to restart the vehicle – and deal with the consequences.
The convicted driver must pay the installation and daily cost of the ignition interlock device. The installation cost could be waived for low-income drivers. “It will make Michigan roads safer and it will help people get the help they need,” said Rep. Marc Corriveau, D-Northville. He is co-sponsor of the legislation along with Rep. Bob Constan, D-Dearborn Heights.
Michigan has 45,000 drunk driving arrests a year. Of those, nearly 15,000 involve a driver with a blood alcohol level of 0.17 or higher, according to the Office of Highway Safety Planning.
Article Source
There’s more drinking and thus more drunken driving in what’s become a costumed, hearty party season, according to state traffic experts. “It’s one of our busiest times of the year,” said State Police Inspector Gene Adamczyk of the Lansing office.
So police in Michigan will step up drunk driving patrols this week and Sunday, Halloween, Adamczyk said. That includes county and local police departments. Federal money will pay for extra overtime for road patrols, said Ann Readett, spokesperson for the Michigan Office of Highway and Safety Planning.
Also, a new drunk driving law takes effect Sunday with stiffer penalties for first-time convictions of driving with blood alcohol contents of 0.17 grams or higher. Driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 is considered drunk driving. Those convicted of driving with high levels of blood alcohol would have their license suspended automatically. They also could face 180 days in jail, bigger fines, six points on their driving record and mandatory alcohol treatment.
A restricted license could be granted after 45 days if a driver agrees to install a breath alcohol ignition device on the vehicle they drive. The driver must blow into the device, as with a Breathalylzer, to start the vehicle. The car won’t start if the blood alcohol level registers .025 or higher. Currently, ignition interlock devices are used only for repeat drunk drivers. The driver must blow into the device periodically while driving as well. If it measures alcohol, the car’s horn will sound and its lights will flash until it’s turned off. Then, the driver must contact a probation officer to restart the vehicle – and deal with the consequences.
The convicted driver must pay the installation and daily cost of the ignition interlock device. The installation cost could be waived for low-income drivers. “It will make Michigan roads safer and it will help people get the help they need,” said Rep. Marc Corriveau, D-Northville. He is co-sponsor of the legislation along with Rep. Bob Constan, D-Dearborn Heights.
Michigan has 45,000 drunk driving arrests a year. Of those, nearly 15,000 involve a driver with a blood alcohol level of 0.17 or higher, according to the Office of Highway Safety Planning.
Article Source
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