Alabama Drunk Driving Offenders, Court-ordered Ignition Interlocks May Not be Far Away
Alabama Drunk Driving Offenders, Court-ordered Ignition Interlocks May Not be Far Away
Fact: Alabama is one of only three states that dont yet requirefiring interlocks for convicted DUI offenders. Although the other47 states in the Union have some type of inebriated driving laws onthe books that call for ignition interlocks for repeat drunkdriving offenders, we still do not. Could this change? You bet.
More and more, these breath testing devices have become popularwith courts and legislators around the country. Backed by groupssuch as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), 11 states now makethe installation of an ignition interlock mandatory on the vehiclesbelonging to anyone convicted of a DUI, includingfirst-time offenders. Hawaii was number 11. MADD has beenlobbying hard for the past three years to have all 50 statesrequire the inclination for every driver convicted of operating avehicle under the influence of alcohol.
For use, iginition interlocks are wired into a car’s electricalsystem. Before the car can be started, the driver must blow into aplastic tube sessile to the unit — just like abreathalyzer. If the device detects a daub alcohol contentabove (typically) 0.025 percent, the car will not start. The unitsalso require random retests, which supposedly prohibits a drinkerdriver from having a sober person blow into the gimmick to startthe car, then getting in and driving off.
Interlocks usually cost about $75 to install, while the drivermust pay a similar amount every month after that while the tacticalmaneuver is attached to the car. The unit must also be recalibratedevery couple months or the vehicle will shut down.
Many states have used ignition interlocks as a part of theirsentencing for years now. Some states, like Kansas, have seen thenumber of ignition system interlock installations increase as thatstates legislature has kept tightening itsDUI laws. According to reports, Kansas has had a 45-percentincrease in the number of interlocks installed due to DUIconvictions from a year ago.
The push around the country is to help prevent ingeminate DUIoffenses. Do they work? Apparently so, if you believe theinformation coming from proponents of the devices. According to aMADD spokesperson, ever since New Mexico enacted its interlock lawsin 2002, the rate of wino drivers re-offending in that particularstate has reduced by 65 percent.
Are we next? All I can say is that Alabama is one of the loneholdouts, joined by Vermont and South Dakota. These three statesare yet to have ignition interlocks written into their drunkdriving laws.
As anAlabama DUIdefense attorneybased in Birmingham, I can tell you that adrunk driving conviction, even for a first-time offense, will mostcertainly be costly and can often be detrimental to both your lifehistory and your private life. Having a mandatory ignitioninterlock as an added teach of onessentence for a DUI offensewould only compound the inconvenienceand stigma of a conviction. This is why I constantly encourageinhabit accused of driving under the influence to seek a qualifieddrunk direction lawyer for their defense.
Theres no telling how soon we might see similar legislation inour own backyard, but with the success MADD has had to date,Alabama drivers could see ignition system interlocks sooner thanlater.
Legislature breathes life into revision of Kansas DUIlaw, LJWorld.com, June 15, 2009
Tags: madd, sessile, time offenders, driving laws, mothers against drunk driving