Drunk Driving Repeat Offenses Drop With Ignition Interlock Removal Laws

23.07.2023 - 19:43 / forbes.com / Jonathan Adkins

States that have laws to govern when ignition interlock devices may be removed from drunk driving offenders’ vehicles have significantly lower rates of repeat driving under the influence (DUI) offenses than states which do not. Over a four-year period, Tennessee and Washington, which each have a compliance-based removal law, saw significantly lower recidivism rates than Arkansas and Iowa, which do not have such laws.

Those are the main findings of a new study recently released by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), a nonprofit organization representing state highway safety offices, that addressed measures to help reduce the number of drunk driving repeat incidents.

“Every day, 36 people die because someone got behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. We can and must get that number to zero,” Jonathan Adkins, chief executive officer of the safety association, said in a statement. “Ignition interlocks are a powerful tool in our fight against the scourge of impaired driving. This new study suggests that enacting requirements governing the removal of IIDs can make them even more effective in preventing alcohol-impaired driving and save lives.”

An ignition interlock device (IID) uses technology to test a driver’s breath and will prevent a vehicle from starting if the driver is under the influence. The devices are a proven and effective tool for significantly reducing drunk driving, according to the study, “Impact of Compliance-Based Removal Laws on Alcohol-Impaired Driving Recidivism.”

Currently, all states have some type of ignition interlock program, but only 33 states and the District of Columbia have compliance-based removal laws, which dictate that drivers with an ignition interlock device installed in their vehicle must have a certain number of violation-free days before the device can be removed.

For the study, researchers analyzed data provided by the states for the period January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2019, comparing two states with compliance-based removal (CBR) laws to two states without them. Alcohol-impaired driving recidivism rates in Tennessee and Washington were 1.7% and 3.7%, respectively. Recidivism rates for the two states without compliance-based removal statutes – Arkansas (5.6%) and Iowa (6%) were higher.

“While there are several factors that can affect drunk driving recidivism,” the study noted, “ the data indicate that CBR requirements can be a promising tool to address these high-risk drivers and that states without these laws should consider implementing them.”

Drunk driving is one of the deadliest yet most preventable behaviors that accounts for nearly one-third of the nation’s traffic crash fatalities. Alcohol-impaired driving deaths have skyrocketed 31% in