Interesting article from my hometown newspaper in Pa...
Proposal for DUI car device criticized State House bill that would require breathalyzers for all cars called unfair, costly. KRIS WERNOWSKY snipped-for-privacy@timesleader.com Read the proposed law A bill sent to the state House Committee on Transportation Friday would require a breathalyzer ignition system be installed in new cars sold within the state and retrofitted into existing cars.
House Bill 875, sponsored by Bucks County Democrat Paul Clymer, would require an ignition interlock system in every motor vehicle manufactured for use in Pennsylvania on or after Dec. 31, 2008. The law would also require vehicle owners to retrofit their cars with the system by Dec. 31, 2009.
The bill drew the ire of the American Beverage Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based restaurant trade organization, dedicated to "protecting the on-premise dining experience - which often includes the responsible consumption of adult beverages."
Sarah Longwell, an ABI spokeswoman, called the bill a radical approach to the problem of drunken driving that would punish even the most Puritan non-drinking residents of the Commonwealth. Judges often require repeat drunken drivers to install ignition interlock systems in their vehicles that won't allow people to start their cars if their blood alcohol content is above a pre-set level.
The proposed law, as it stands, would require the calibrators to block a driver with a .025 percent blood alcohol level, a level set for Pennsylvania's court-ordered DUI offenders. The law considers the average adult drunk at .08 percent.
"Chain restaurants, they have parking lots. These are places people go to have one drink, a glass of wine," Longwell said. "These people should be able to drink responsibly and drive home, which is legal. This bill takes the very radical position that people should no longer be able to do this."
If a 170-pound man consumed two beers in an hour, his blood alcohol content would be about .024, according to Intoximeters Inc., a national wholesaler for breathalyzer equipment.
Clymer, who sent the bill to committee without co-sponsors, said he came up with the idea after hearing stories about increases in binge drinking on college campuses and the statistics about the number of alcohol-related fatalities in Pennsylvania.
An analysis of drunken-driving fatality statistics from the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Web site shows Pennsylvania had the fourth highest amount of alcohol-related deaths in the United States from
2000 to 2005, behind Florida, California and Texas.When the average population of the state in those years is taken into account, Pennsylvania drops to 23rd on the list with roughly 31 fatal crashes for every 100,000 residents. Montana has the highest per capita death rate for drunken-driving crashes with 77 crashes for every 100,000 residents.
Longwell said lawmakers, state and federal, are being pressured to change the law by activist organizations such as MADD and by automobile manufacturers that are starting to implement similar options into new cars. A similar bill has been introduced in the New York state Legislature that encompasses drivers of large commercial vehicles such as buses and semis. It has not passed.
The Toyota Motor Co. is already experimenting with steering wheel sensors that would detect a driver's blood alcohol level and hopes to fit cars with the system by 2009, according to The Associated Press. The Nissan Motor Co. experimented with breathalyzer technology.
Clymer admits there are several logistical parts of the bill to consider, like how to require vehicle manufacturers to install the systems in vehicles for a single state, or the high cost of retrofitting older vehicles.
"We want to hear the testimony," he said. "It's possible that compromises would be made."
The state representative was unaware of the cost of the installation of the interlock ignition systems, which range from $700 to $1,200. Pennsylvania Interlock, which provides the systems to court-ordered DUI offenders, leases the units for $1,050 for one year. The cost includes installation, routine calibrations, and removal within a year's time.
State Rep. Katharine M. Watson, R-Warminster, chairwoman of the Transportation Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, was hesitant to speak about the recently introduced bill, but said some of the requirements might be a little too extreme for some residents.
"That's a lot of expense and a lot for people who have never taken a drink in their life," she said.
When told of the cost, Clymer was surprised.
"Looking at this again now, I see," he said. "The last thing I would want to do is have an added cost, especially if a person doesn't drink. I would be more than willing to accept amendments."
Still, Clymer hopes the bill will lead the state Legislature to hold hearings on drunken driving and the effects of alcoholism.
"This bill is not etched in stone," he said. "I want to try to get a discussion going and get people talking about it. People need to understand that this is a life-and-death situation. I'm willing to look at some changes in my (proposed) law that would reflect a more common-sense approach."
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