MARYLAND'S GENERAL Assembly, which has coddled drunk drivers for decades, is once again busy gutting legislation that would end the policy of forgiveness for those who get sloshed before getting behind the wheel. This is no great surprise given the overweening power of the alcohol industry and its lawmaker pals in Annapolis, many of whom hold day jobs that include defending drunk drivers in court. What's more surprising is that for once, there is serious pushback from those who are serious about getting tough with drunk drivers.
What's at issue this year is legislation that would require the installation of a device in the cars of convicted drunk drivers. The device, called an ignition interlock, would block drivers from starting their car until they blow into a mouthpiece that analyzes blood alchohol level to determine whether a driver is sober. If he is, the car will start (and the driver will be retested randomly as he drives); if not, the information will be stored and be accessible to the authorities.
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18 comments:
I was at the 404 park and ride off 50 the other week. Saw a lady get into her car and blow into one of these. All I could think of was where is the "hah ha" (Nelson?) kid from the Simpsons when you need him.
If anything should be zero tolerance it should be drunk driving its as serious as a sex offence and the punishment and social stigma should be equal
DUI is a huge revenue generator.
Is there no end to this maddness? Why not just require auto makers to install this stuff and test everybody. All this stuff does is drive up costs for everyone. Do we really want government involvement in every aspect of everyones lives? I think not. If you commit a crime, do the time, it's that simple. More laws are not needed, we have to many now.
does this mean they plan on installing them permanently? because, they already do that currently. dont they?
Obama should have put this in the health care bill. It's just about as foolish as the rest of the bill and will do no good at all.
that's Joe Vallerio for you
You are right 1:01, probably the real motive here. Create more tax by selling these devices.
Yay! Let's give all the incompetent people at the MVA somthing else to oversee! Sounds like a good time for everyone involved.
This is going to be a HUGE money maker for everyone involved except the the poor scmuck behind the wheel. Don't make one mistake, or you might end up the scmuck.
It's almost like the Healthcare Reform Congress exempts themselves from. In the Summer of 2008, Speaker Michael Bush's wife was arrested for DUI.
Read more here:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2008/08/state_police_buschs_wife_charg.html
The idiots don't care about drunk driving it's about the fines . Sober people kill more and wreck more then drunk drivers .
drunk driving fatalities are declining while dd(distracted driver) fatalities are rising every year. We should increase awareness of both dui n dd in order to make the roads safer.
They don't want to stop drunk driving-the lawyers are getting rich off of it.
there need not be lawyers or judges involved if your over the limit your guilty period everyone thinks the state owes them a whiny explanation for their stupidity and lawlessness
what about if you are sleeping in your car? should be a lesser offense if you were trying to avoid driving by snoozing...
The interlock devices do no good when the people that install them show people how to get around blowing in them to start a car. Please tell me how someone that has had 4 dui's with a manslaughter charge for drinking and driving and the result his son dying is able to get a drivers liscense in the state of Md. is possible.Yes he has an interlock system once again but that didn't help. Yes he has to pay monthly for it but that doesn't guarantee us he won't do it again after it is removed. He should have NEVER been given a liscense again!!! Yes they need to do something but what will help because people will drive without. I don;t think the laws will ever change. The pink liscense plates with DUI is a great idea for life of a convicted DUI driver and i think 1 chance is too much.
If by "coddled" you mean financaly raped yes they do need to tone it down.
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