Getting Between Drinkers And Their Vehicle Ignitions

MADD Wants Detector Used by DWI Convicts

MADD is urging drivers to tie ribbons to their vehicles in a pledge against drinking and driving over the holidays. (Susan Biddle - Twp)

Leaders of the Loudoun County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving on Monday called for a state law requiring alcohol-detection devices in the vehicles of all convicted drunk drivers.

The proposal is part of a nationwide campaign by MADD to reduce drunken driving over the next 10 years through stricter laws, tougher sentencing and the use of new technology. Appearing with victims' relatives and public officials, leaders of the Loudoun chapter of MADD announced their initiative at a news conference at the County Government Center in Leesburg.

Susan Cleveland, president of the Loudoun chapter, said the group wants legislation introduced in the next General Assembly session requiring that ignition interlock devices be placed in the vehicles of all persons convicted of drunken driving and that the offenders pay for the equipment.

Someone who is about to drive must breathe into the interlock device, and if his or her blood alcohol level is above the legal limit, the vehicle won't start. The driver must undergo another test after the vehicle begins moving, and an alarm sounds if the test shows a blood alcohol level above the legal limit, MADD officials said.

In 2005, New Mexico became the first state to require the device for everyone convicted of drunken driving, and officials there say interlocks have helped to reduce drunken-driving incidents, Cleveland said. In Virginia and several other states, judges have the discretion to require the device for repeat offenders.

MADD officials said that mandatory use of interlocks after all DWI convictions could prevent cases such as that of Jennifer Bryant, who was struck by a drunken driver and severely injured in 2002 while walking to her car in Leesburg.

Damon and Keyona White, Bryant's children, spoke at the news conference about their mother's struggles.

"The entire right side of our mother's face had to be reconstructed with plastic surgery. . . . She suffers progressive brain damage. She limps when she walks. She was told she would never work again," said Damon White, 21.

They said the driver, a 21-year-old woman, was a repeat offender.

MADD officials said the device not only would protect innocent people such as Bryant but also would deter those who have yet to be charged with drunken driving.

John K. Zwerling, a criminal defense lawyer in Alexandria who has worked on DWI cases, said he doubted that requiring interlocks for offenders would deter others or reduce drunken driving. He also pointed to the cost of the equipment.

"There are going to be people who can't afford it, which means they can't drive, which means they can't work," Zwerling said.

"For very little added safety, you have a tremendous imposition on part of the population, and in some cases there's financial havoc. . . . If the argument is [that] doing anything to save a life is worth it, we should reduce the speed limit from 65 to 35. Then we'd save thousands," he said.

Cleveland said MADD also will push for investment in research on advanced vehicle technologies to combat drunken driving.

State Sen. Mark R. Herring (D-Loudoun) and Loudoun Sheriff Steve O. Simpson also spoke at the news conference, endorsing MADD's general efforts to promote highway safety. They did not comment specifically on the interlock proposal.

MADD officials also announced the start of their annual "Tie One on for Safety" campaign, which runs through New Year's Day. They are asking drivers to tie a MADD ribbon to their vehicles, with the ribbon signifying their pledge not to drink and drive. Operators of the Dulles Greenway distributed MADD ribbons to motorists at toll booths Tuesday and said they will do so again Dec. 18.