Getting MADD about car ignition interlocks for DUI offenders

Ignition interlock devices – a device that can be connected to car's ignition to check for the presence of alcohol in the driver’s breath before the car can be started – are a hot topic in the news lately.

The group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has broken off ties with an unusual former ally, the distiller-backed Century Council.  The stated purpose of the Century Council, a non-profit based in Arlington, Virginia, is the “development of programs and policies to fight drunk driving and stop underage drinking”.

MADD severed ties because of Century Council’s insistence that they focus their efforts on hard-core drinkers, those with BACs well over the 0.08 target preferred by MADD.  Council research has shown that the mean BAC of drivers arrested for drunk driving is 0.16, double the legal limit in Virginia.

MADD stated that it would not partner with the Century Council as long as it “undertakes initiatives, whether intentional or not, that condone underage drinking and undermine the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age.”

Century Council wanted to back off of targeting social drinkers who might get caught in a roadblock, preferring to focus funding and time where they believe it will do the most good.  Requiring ignition interlocks for drivers arrested with a BAC of 0.08 – one of MADD’s goals – is not something they support.