As someone who was almost killed 2 years ago by a drunk driver while crossing the street in lower Manhattan, I have been closely following the issue of ignition-interlock devices. As a pragmatist, I support the California bill requiring that anyone convicted of drunk driving install an ignition-interlock device, and hope that other states will soon follow suit. Experts agree that these devices are highly effective and yet they are rarely utilized. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and these individuals have demonstrated that they pose a greater threat to the safety of themselves and others.

However, by focusing only on convicted drunk drivers we are only partially solving the problem. Of the nearly 1.5 million drivers arrested for driving under the influence, only a third are repeat offenders. Instead of trying to fix the proverbial holes in the dam, shouldn’t we try to eliminate drunk driving entirely by insisting that all new cars come equipped with such equipment? In fact, according to a recent survey by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety two out of three respondents were in favor of putting reliable alcohol detection systems into all cars, not just into the cars of offenders

There are an estimated 13,000 fatalities and over half a million people injured in the U.S. every year in alcohol-impaired traffic accidents, and it’s estimated that 30% of Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash during their lives (MADD). The national health and economic costs resulting from these accidents are astronomical. Injuries sustained in car accidents range from relatively minor ones which can still permanently affect quality of life, to the more serious such as paralysis or brain injury (with car accidents being the leading cause of Traumatic Brain Injury). In addition, the economic costs related to health care, lost wages and property damage are estimated at $114.3 billion, the majority of which are borne by the victims, not the offender. Add to that the government expenditures involved in enforcing the relevant laws (apprehending, convicting, and incarcerating the offenders), and the numbers make this a national issue that demands a concerted focus on trying all reasonable solutions to eradicate the problem.

As part of the global effort to prevent drunk driving, the auto industry and NGO’s such as the Clinton Global Initiative have been dedicating resources to developing solutions such as more sophisticated and less cumbersome alcohol detection devices.

As the discussion at hand demonstrates, self-regulation has not worked well in regards to drunk driving. I believe that it’s time for the federal government to step in and require that all new cars be equipped with such technology. After all, isn’t the primary goal of any government to protect its citizens from dangers posed by individuals or entities, and to make public areas and roads safe?

The simple solution of requiring that all new vehicles be equipped with alcohol detection systems will prevent most, if not all, drunk driving accidents within a few years, along with the terrible effect they have on so many lives. Moreover, the cost of implementing this change is far less than the cost of drunk driving accidents to this country every year.

using a cylinder of compressed air in the vehicle hooked up to the ignition-interlock device?

If drunk drivers are allowed to operate a vehicle then why not use GPS tracking with other sensors, and just alert police when the vehicle is operating erratically?

Why not encode the felons drivers license, and require all businesses selling alcohol to scan every ID, and just not sell alcohol to a convicted drunk driver?