According to one study, the average offender has driven while intoxicated 80 times before being caught the first time. But often offenders are not caught before a serious and sometimes even fatal accident occurs. In recent years Texas has recorded some of the highest numbers of intoxicated-driving deaths in nation.
A Texas based organization, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, is proposing that state legislators pass new laws involving the use of interlock breathalyzers in hopes to better prevent drunk driving.
The proposed measures will require all those convicted of DWI charges to have an ignition-interlock device installed in their vehicle before regaining their driver’s license, even for first time offenders. MADD is also suggesting that Texas lawmakers establish DWI checkpoints, which have reportedly cut intoxicated-driving incidents by 20 percent in 38 states throughout the country.
The interlock device would be attached to a breathalyzer that would determine if the driver is fit to drive. “You get behind the wheel of your car, you blow into a Breathalyzer,” said MADD’s executive director. “If you are below the legal limit, it lets you drive. If you’re above, it doesn’t.
“Other states have also had great success after instituting interlock-systems laws for first-time offenders. Two states have even reported a decrease of about half of their drunken-driving death totals. Texas MADD hopes that their proposed drunk driving enforcement laws will have similar results.
Every DWI case is different and has its own unique set of circumstances and potential consequences. If you’re arrested on criminal charges related to driving while intoxicated, consulting a DWI attorney may aid in defending your individual rights.
Source: nbcdfw.com, “MADD Proposes Interlock Devices for First-Time DWI Offenders,” Marc Fein, Feb. 11, 2013
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