Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Louisiana is urging passage of a bill to reduce repeat drunk driving offenses by up to 70%.
The legislation, HB 633 by Rep. Mark Wright, would change the way Louisiana uses in-vehicle technology to reform behavior around drunk driving and save lives.
HB 633 requires use of an in-car interlock device on first offense, a measure proven to reduce recidivism, and used in 34 other states and the District of Columbia. The device prevents drunk drivers from starting their cars. But the bill goes further, requiring interlock vendors to undergo more strict supervision, upgrade technology in Louisiana, and establish an indigency fund that reduces costs for those required to keep an interlock device in their vehicle after a DWI conviction.
The bill’s components were part of a set of recommendations on reducing road fatalities issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to get Louisiana’s astronomical rate of alcohol-related road deaths under control.
FBI statistics show that by the time an offender is convicted once, they have typically driven drunk an average of 80 times.
