Mississippi Legislature Considers Ignition Interlock Devices For DUI First Offense
Pressured by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers), the Mississippi Legislature is considering a bill which would mandate ignition interlock devices as a penalty for a first-offense DUI conviction. MADD is known to advocate over the top penalties for drinking and driving, and forced installation of ignition interlock devices is more of the same. The Commercial Appeal has this story, an excerpt:
First-time convicted drunken drivers would have to install devices on their vehicles that would prevent them from driving if they are legally drunk under a bill unveiled Wednesday.
Current Mississippi law requires the ignition interlock devices for second and subsequent drunken driving convictions. The legislation would require the devices after a motorist's first drunken-driving conviction.
Ignition interlock devices don't work, and they are a poor policy solution. What's to stop a person with a DUI conviction from driving a different vehicle?
What companies are licensed to install this device in the State of Mississippi?
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I think these machines are a waste of time and money because they can get anyone riding in the car to blow in this machine. It will not stop drunk driving.
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Please do your homework. These devices do work and they require the offender to blow into the device at determined intervals after cranking the car. So your sober friend may blow into it to get the car started but unless they are sitting shotgun (which I doubt) the offender will have to blow into it. It is monitored by the local authorities and if it detects alcohol, it will sound the horn and the lights will begin to flash to alert the authorities that you are driving impaired. It will not disable the car. These devices also save the taxpayers money, For every dollar spent on these, the taxpayers save almost 3 dollars by not housing repeat offenders in our correctional facilities. Mr. Frye, how many family members have you lost to drunk drivers? My son Ethan was killed by a drunk driver on Dec. 1, 2004. If your son/daughter was killed by a drunk, you would do everything in your power to try and prevent the MOST preventable crime in America. Our lawmakers have been given the responsibility of making decisions for the safety and well-being of the people they represent. They need to protect the innocent sober drivers, not the law-breaking drunks. The results show that it reduces accidents by drunk drivers by 64% in the states that already have this law on the books. What could it hurt?
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By the way, my son was killed by a repeat offender.
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