In at least 12 states when someone is convicted of DUI they are required to install an ignition interlock device on their car for a certain period of time while they are driving on a provisional license. Basically it is a breathalyzer that is wired to a car’s ignition system. With the advances in technology, these devices could be made quite simple to use. I would have no problem with them becoming standard equipment in any new car.
There are 3 people dead because of one irresponsible person. This should not be allowed to happen.
More than just drunk, though. One article says he handed the police the driver’s license of someone else when caught. Heartfelt condolences to the friends and families of Darlene McGee, Felecia Harris, and Ms. Harris’ 6-year-old granddaughter who died, and to her 9-year-old daughter who was seriously injured. I hope the judge will be able to stack the sentences.
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. Basically it is a breathalyzer that is wired to a car’s ignition system. With the advances in technology, these devices could be made quite simple to use. I would have no problem with them becoming standard equipment in any new car.
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While I agree, there would easy ways to “fool” the system…either by having a non-drunk person breathe into it, or by using some sort of device with previously-stored “sober breath”.
I think the newest devices are addressing those issues using some sort of DNA identification when the mouth touches the unit. They are pre-loaded into the system. But even the ones on the market now would have prevented the incident that is the subject matter of this thread.
I’d heard a while back that people just get someone else to breathe into the device to pass the test. Granted, hopefully that is getting harder and harder to find someone to do that these days with so much alcohol education.
While I’m not proud of it, in my teens and early 20s, I’m sure I drove way past the legal limit dozens and dozens of times. How I managed to not get caught, or get into an accident is beyond my comprehension, but it happens. Of course, this was all in the state of Texas where, at the time, it was perfectly legal to drive with an open container. On my drive back and forth between Austin and Houston, I had certain convenience stores I’d stop at to buy another tall boy until the next convenience store stop. I truly have no idea how I managed to go undetected, because I can tell you, I was not sober. Certainly no one ever tried to stop me, or suggest I’d had too much… likely because they were all doing the same thing. I only know one person from my high school and college days who ever got a DUI.
Alcohol education has come a long way, and now that we know better, we should do better.
What is this “when” he gets out of jail business? He should spend the rest of his miserable life locked in a cell.
In this day and age, to drink and drive is selfish, stupid, and attempted murder (even if you don’t hit anyone)… and should be prosecuted as such.
No excuses.
It doesn’t say so in the article, but I hope the friends that tried to stop him also called the cops to let them know that someone that screwed up was on the road. Kudos to the friends though for actually trying to stop them- that’s more than most would do.
I’d be in favor of adding those devices as standard, mandatory equipment based on the little I know about them.
Does anyone know how they work? Do they disable the ignition with any detectible level of alcohol? Or do they calculate a blood alcohol level? As standard equipment, they would be feasible only with the latter capability.
I suppose there could be negative consequences; some people on the edge may wisely choose NOT to drive without the device, since they don’t know their blood alcohol level and don’t know if they are technically over or under 0.08. But if the devices were standard equipment some percentage of people below the legal driving limit but still quite impaired may go ahead and drive after passing the car’s test. So there could be a slight increase in those drivers. But it really does seem that it would lead to a net positive (though obviously not perfect).
Does anyone know why there hasn’t been a move to getting these into cars as standard equipment, like airbags and seat belts?
As a parent I would like to have such a device available on the car that my teenagers drive. While I trust my children and believe them to be responsible, teenage get togethers and parties can get out of hand – they may just find themselves in an unexpected bind. This device could help, especially if it was able to ID the person using the breathalyzer before enabling the ignition.
@mom2coIIegekids I go to a school with a big drunk driving problem, despite the fact that we have a free Saferides program. I just tell people that if they get behind the wheel, I’m calling the cops on them and make sure to have others backing me up. I also offer them a Saferides voucher.
I don’t even think it would need to ID the user, since we would like the non-drinker to be the driver, regardless whose car it is. Sure, some people will get around the system. But some people don’t wear seat belts; that is no argument for not installing them and requiring their use.
In some ways, the devices are less useful for teenagers, since even one drop of alcohol is over the legal driving limit (at least in California). So there is less judgment involved for teens than for adults trying to decide if the two glasses of wine over a long lunch is too much or not.
Any alcohol by a teen disqualifies them from driving legally.
@mom2coIIegekids I go to a school with a big drunk driving problem, despite the fact that we have a free Saferides program. I just tell people that if they get behind the wheel, I'm calling the cops on them and make sure to have others backing me up. I also offer them a Saferides voucher.
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Good for you! But, I can still imagine that a close friend, significant other, or spouse may not have the guts to call the cops.
I hope some lawyer doesn’t try the argument that “he was too drunk to ‘consent’ to driving while intoxicated.”
I feel SO sorry for all the families involved in this terrible tragedy.
Parents need to make sure they tell their kids, as soon as they drive, that they will ALWAYS come to pick them up. If/when they are away at college, they should always have a credit card for a cab/Uber ride. H and I made this offer to our kids’ friends, too. Yes, we have received a few 2:00 AM calls for rides, but that beats the alternative.
^That is assault, and frankly extremely stupid if you’re dealing with someone who had anywhere near the BAC of the UNC student.
@mom2collegekids I don’t know if I could do that for anyone extremely close to me. I do suspect that after they sobered up, assuming they didn’t drive, I would have a very long, uncomfortable talk with them the next day. I think I would go the route you and other posters suggested which would be getting a cab or uber and either going home with them or driving to my place. I’ve had plenty of drunk friends and a couple boyfriends spend the night at my place.
whenhen - That’s part of the deal. I will pick you up and there will not be a ‘long, uncomfortable talk the next day’. A good alternative is to spend the night if you are already at a friend’s place. Being a parent of a teen/young adult isn’t always so easy…
@hrh19 I was referring to the idea that a friend or significant other would be trying to drive drunk. If they simply needed a ride, that’s an entirely different scenario.
The problem with Saferides and no-questions-asked offers from parents, etc., is that a person too drunk to drive can’t begin to appreciate his own impairment and has no ability to make a rational decision about driving. I’m sure the killer in question was convinced he was able to drive. In my mind, the criminal liability lies not in driving drunk, but in drinking to excess to start with, because that’s where rational thought process and self control still obtain and where the bad decision is made. Simply arriving at a venue by car and then becoming drunk should be enough to put someone in jail, because at that point they’re already a threat to society. They may as well be waving a loaded gun.
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That’s a good point. Driving to a location and deciding to drink excessively w/o some sort of fallback (spend night, call taxi, etc), and with the intention that the drinker will be driving home is akin to a premeditated assault or murder.
But back to the close friends or family members that often see a loved one insist on driving while intoxicated. Those people are in a very delicate position. Once they fail at trying to talk the person out of driving, their alternative is a difficult choice. Will a wife call 911 and report her husband knowing that the repercussions will be absolutely long-lasting, have serious financial implications, and may even end the marriage? I doubt many wives would call. I doubt many wives do call, just because of that. For less, but similar reasons, I doubt many close friends call. That is sad. But, what a horrible position to be in.
Surely, many times there have been fatal or serious accidents after friends/family have warned the drunk driver not to drive.