Submitted by Aiken Jacobsen on
Back in December we posted about a new program to stop drunk drivers from repeating their crime. Sacramento was one of four California counties chosen to pilot the program because of the high number of drunk driving car accidents which occur here.
The program requires first-time DUI offenders to have interlock ignition systems installed on their cars. These devices force a driver to pass a breathalyzer test in order for his car to start. If his breath registers a blood alcohol content above the legal limit his car isn't going anywhere.
Statistics show that most drivers who drive drunk will continue to reoffend even after getting caught. Therefore the program could be a very effective way to cut down on drunk driving. Unfortunately, after 8 months the program has been a pretty big failure.
The problem is not with the idea itself, but rather with the implementation. The program has been in place since last July, and since then 13, 288 people have been convicted of DUI in the four counties. Yet only 1,335 interlock ignition systems have been installed. For those keeping score that amounts to only 10 percent.
Sacramento has done slightly better with 12 percent, but it's still a negligible amount. DMV officials defend their lack of action by saying that many who get convicted of a DUI also have their license suspended and therefore the interlock ignition systems would not be installed until such time as their license gets reinstated.
But this raises an important question: If someone is so thoughtless as to drive drunk in the first place, what's to stop them from driving drunk again with a suspended license?
It's unfortunate that such a well-constructed program can be rendered useless by a lack of enforcement. Sacramento, Los Angeles, Tulare and Alameda continue to lead the state in dangerous drunk driving incidents. How many needless injuries and deaths must we continue to suffer because of a lack of follow-through?
Source: The Sacramento Bee online, "Back-seat Driver: Tough DUI law slow to show results," Tony Bizjak, 14 March 2011
