A recent study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, reports that there has been a seven percent reduction in fatal drunk driving accidents in states that require ignition interlocks for drunk driving offenders. An ignition interlock is a device which prevents a vehicle from starting if the driver has been drinking. The device works like a breathalyzer by measuring the alcohol in a person’s system. If the amount of alcohol on the driver’s breath exceeds a pre-programmed level, then the device temporarily locks the vehicle’s ignition.
It certainly makes you wonder if vehicles will come equipped with those devices installed in the near future, especially for parents of young drivers. Currently, twenty-eight states and Washington D.C. have offender ignition interlock laws. Here in Kansas, we do have this law and I think it’s presence has cut down on on the overall number of DUIs.
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