NC wants ignition interlocks to prevent drunk driving accidents

Drunk driving accidents continue to plagued North Carolina roads. Drunk driving accidents sometimes cause serious injuries and fatalities for victims of these accidents. What can be done to prevent car accidents from happening in the future?

North Carolina lawmakers think they may have the answer. They have recently proposed a bill that would require all DWI offenders to install ignition interlock devices to increase public safety in the state. Current North Carolina law requires DWI offenders with a blood alcohol content of 0.15 or higher and for repeat DWI offenders to install ignition interlock devices.

Many think this is not good enough and has not been successful in preventing serious and fatal drunk driving accidents in North Carolina. The proposed bill would require all DWI offenders, even first-time offenders, to install ignition interlock devices.

Supporters of the bill say that this will help prevent repeat offenders from driving drunk again as well as prevent DWI accidents from happening in North Carolina.

How do ignition interlock devices work and how would they prevent drunk driving accidents? Ignition interlock devices require the driver to submit a breath sample before the vehicle can start. It also requires the driver to breathe into the device every five to seven minutes while they are driving to make sure they do not have alcohol in their system. If a certain amount of alcohol is detected on the driver’s breath while he or she is driving, the vehicle’s lights flash and usually the horn honks to notify the driver that they should stop driving.

While not everyone thinks the proposed bill will be passed as it is currently written, supporters of the bill and safety advocates hope that this is just the first step in trying to reduce drunk driving accidents in North Carolina.

Source: My Fox 8, “New bill proposed in-car breathalyzers for all DWI offenders,” Carter Coyle, Feb. 15, 2013