Advocates urges the California State Assembly’s Public Safety Committee to advance Assembly Bill (AB) 366 to make permanent the ignition interlock device (IID) pilot program and upgrade the law to require the use of IIDs by all convicted drunk drivers, including first time offenders. Under current law, a court may require an IID for a first-time offender. Expanding the law to include all first time offenders would improve the effectiveness of the IID program and help prevent drunk driving.
Drunk driving is a deadly and costly threat to California families. In 2022, 1,479 people were needlessly killed in drunk driving crashes on California roads according to the most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This is a 53 percent increase in drunk driving fatalities compared to 2019 and accounted for 33 percent of all traffic fatalities that year.
States that have adopted IID laws for all offenders are saving lives, reducing injuries and preventing drunk driving recidivism. For example, when West Virginia adopted its IID program, recidivism was reduced by 77 percent among first time offenders.
Advocates asks the committee to support and advance AB 366 to require this commonsense, lifesaving law to curb drunk driving.
Read the full letter here.