Ignition Interlock Report 2017

Studies on the Effectiveness of Ignition Interlocks

McGinty, Emma E. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, “Ignition Interlock Laws: Effects on Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes, 1982–2013,” January, 2017  Ignition interlock laws reduce alcohol-involved fatal crashes. Increasing the spread of interlock laws that are mandatory for all offenders would have significant public health benefit.  Laws requiring interlocks for all drunk driving offenders with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or greater were associated with a 7 percent decrease in the rate of drunk driving fatal crashes.  Laws requiring interlocks for first-time offenders with a BAC of .15 or greater were associated with an 8 percent decrease in the rate of drunk driving fatal crashes.  Laws requiring interlocks for segments of high-risk drunk driving offenders, such as repeat offenders, may reduce alcohol-involved fatal crashes after 2 years of implementation. California DMV, “Specific Deterrent Evaluation of the Ignition Interlock Pilot Program in California,” June 2016  Ignition interlocks are 74% more effective in reducing DUI recidivism than license suspension alone for first offenders during first 182 days after conviction.  Interlocks are 45% more effective in preventing a repeat DUI incidence when compared to license suspension alone during days 183 to 365 after conviction. (Many first-time offenders have the device removed after 182 days of use.)  Ignition interlocks are 70% more effective than license suspension alone in preventing repeat offenses for second-time offenders, compared to license suspension alone, for the first 364 days of use.  Interlocks are 58% more effective in preventing a repeat DUI incidence during days 365 to 730 days of use for second-time offenders.  Third-time offenders who only had a suspended license were 3.4 times more likely to have a fourth DUI conviction or incidence compared to the interlocked offender group.  Because interlocked offenders are able to be part of society and provide for their family by driving to work, grocery stores, restaurants and any anywhere else, their crash risk is most likely similar to the general driving population in California, but higher than offenders whose licenses were suspended or revoked and not permitted to drive. Kaufman, University of Pennsylvania, “Impact of State Ignition Interlock Laws on Alcohol- Involved Crash Deaths in the United States,” March 2016  DUI deaths decreased by 15% in states that enacted all-offender interlock laws.  States with mandatory interlock laws saw a decrease in deaths of 0.8 per 100,000 people each year — which is comparable to lives shown to have been saved from mandatory airbag laws (0.9 lives saved per 100,000 people). Mothers Against Drunk Driving, “How Technology Stopped 1.77 million Drunk Drivers,” February 10, 2016  Ignition interlocks have prevented more than 1.77 million would-be drunk drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or greater in the U.S. http://www.talklikemadd.org/books/IgnitionInterlockReport2016/

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