Introduction Deadly Results was the title of MADD South Carolina’s 2022 Court Monitoring Report. The title of that report was to reflect the seriousness of the situation and the connections that cannot be ignored between how South Carolina handles all DUI arrests and our tragic fatality numbers. When we do not care about holding people accountable after each and every DUI arrest, they often become repeat offenders causing devastation and grief that could have been prevented. Year after year passes with our state operating under the same problematic and out-of-date DUI statutes while other states demonstrate the life-saving impact of DUI reform. This is in spite of some outstanding efforts among many law enforcement and prosecution agencies. This year our report is titled Broken Laws, Broken Lives . Because South Carolina’s DUI laws are so alarmingly lenient, it is causing an unacceptable amount of lives lost or destroyed. The current legal framework fails to act as a strong deterrent with insufficient penalties enabling repeat offenders to get back on the roads swiftly. This leniency undermines public safety, allowing dangerous drivers to continue to endanger lives. To curb this crisis, South Carolina must rework its DUI laws to be simpler and smarter and tilt the situation toward benefitting public safety rather than bending over backwards for offenders. “Worst in the nation” must become a distant memory, and we need to begin now. In 2024, after five years of determined advocacy by many including MADD, South Carolina became the 35th state to require ignition interlock systems for all drivers convicted of driving under the influence, expanding what is known in South Carolina as Emma’s Law. The new law requires installing an ignition interlock device — a car breathalyzer that measures the amount of alcohol in your breath — updates the older version of the law where installation was only required for repeat offenders or first-time offenders with a .15 BAC or higher. The bill was championed by Senator Brad Hutto, House Judiciary Chairman Weston Newton, House Criminal Law Subcommittee Chair Jeff Johnson, and Speaker of the House Murrell Smith. We thank them for their leadership. Drunk driving is a grave offense. At MADD, we witness firsthand the devastating impact on countless families, and our hearts ache alongside theirs. While we can offer support, advocacy, and empowerment, we cannot erase their profound pain. These crashes are sudden, violent, and irreparable, yet entirely preventable. The seriousness of drunk and drugged driving must be underscored with strict and consistent outcomes in our court system. With all the passion generated from working with impaired driving victims and survivors every day, we ask: If the compelling stories and alarming statistics we confront today, including the concerning conviction rates in this report, fail to spur us to action, what will motivate us to save lives needlessly lost year after year? South Carolina, let's get MADD and take decisive action.
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