Interlock Facts

WASHINGTON – Today the American Beverage Institute (ABI) denounced two proposals that MADD is pushing for Texas: implementing sobriety checkpoints and mandating the installation of ignition interlock breathalyzers in the cars of low-BAC (blood alcohol concentration) first-time offenders.

At its annual conference taking place in Dallas this weekend, MADD is calling for both measures, claiming they would lead to a reduction in alcohol-related fatalities. Both initiatives, however, fail to target the actual drunk driving problem in Texas.

“By calling for roadblocks and mandating breathalyzers for first time offenders, regardless of their BAC level, MADD is ignoring the root cause of today’s drunk driving problem—hard core alcohol abusers,” said ABI Managing Director Sarah Longwell.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that the average BAC of a drunk driver in a fatal car crash is 0.18% -- twice the legal limit. Additionally, a NHTSA administrator has said that today’s problem is “by far and away” made up of “those who have alcohol use disorders.” Former Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) president Katherine Prescott has made similar statements, saying that the drunk driving problem has been reduced to “a hard core of alcoholics who do not respond to public appeal.”

Yet MADD’s proposals for Texas fail to target this dangerous population and instead will inconvenience all driving adults with sobriety checkpoints and force first-time DUI offenders, even those just one sip over the legal limit, to install breathalyzers in their cars.

“With Texas’ drunk driving limit set at 0.08% BAC, this would mandate that drivers install a breathalyzer in their car for behavior that, according to numerous studies, impairs them less than driving while talking on a hands-free cell phone,” said Longwell. “A 120 pound woman can reach the 0.08% BAC level by having two glasses of wine in two hours. Should she receive the same punishment as someone with a 0.19% BAC level or multiple offenses?"

Further, sobriety checkpoints target moderate, responsible drinkers and are ineffective (often catching 0 drunk drivers, while costing taxpayers over $10,000). “Because they are highly visible by design and publicized in advance, roadblocks are all too easily avoided by the chronic alcohol abusers who comprise the core of today's drunk driving problem,” Longwell continued. “That leaves adults who enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner, a beer at a ball game, or a champagne toast at a wedding to be harassed at checkpoints.”

 
“MADD is wrong on checkpoints and interlocks. Neither of their proposals will help to solve the drunk driving problem in Texas,” said Longwell, “because they target the wrong people.”