Interlock Facts

WASHINGTON – Today the American Beverage Institute (ABI) denounced a proposal that Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is pushing in Mississippi: mandating the installation of ignition interlock breathalyzers in the cars of low-BAC (blood alcohol concentration), first-time offenders.

At a press conference being held today in the Capitol Rotunda, MADD and state officials are calling for the measure, claiming it would lead to a reduction in alcohol-related fatalities. The initiative, however, fails to target the actual drunk driving problem in Mississippi.

“By calling for mandatory 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 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 proposal for Mississippi fails to target this dangerous population and instead will force first-time DUI offenders, even those just one sip over the legal limit, to install breathalyzers in their cars. In fact, former MADD chapter Executive Director, Charles V. Peña, has said “a first time offender - at the legal limit of .08 BAC should not automatically receive the same punishment as someone driving at more than twice that and with prior convictions.”

“With Mississippi’s 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?"

“This proposal won’t help solve the drunk driving problem in Mississippi,” she said, “because it targets the wrong people.”