Interlock Facts

WASHINGTON – Today the American Beverage Institute (ABI) denounced ignition interlock bill HB639 before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives which would mandate the installation of breathalyzers in the cars of low-BAC (blood alcohol concentration), first-time offenders. This morning, Rep. Paul Clymer (R-Bucks County) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) will be speaking at 11am in the Capitol Media Center in Harrisburg in support of this wrongheaded bill.
 

“By mandating breathalyzers for first time offenders, regardless of their BAC level, this proposal ignores the root cause of today’s drunk driving problem—hard core alcohol abusers,” said ABI spokeswoman 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 (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) 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.”
 

But the bill pending in Pennsylvania 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.”
 

Low-BAC, first-offender bills like this one are part of a little-known movement that seeks to mandate ignition interlock technology in all cars as standard equipment in the United States. In fact, Rep. Clymer is leading the charge for these “universal interlocks.” In 2007, he introduced a bill that would require every car in Pennsylvania to be outfitted with an ignition interlock. This low-BAC, first-offender bill is the first step in that direction.

“With Pennsylvania’s drunk driving limit set at .08 BAC, this bill 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 .08 BAC level by having two glasses of wine in two hours. Should she receive the same punishment as someone with a .18 BAC level or multiple offenses?"