What can we do to prevent wrong-way drivers from getting on a freeway? One way would be to have a strip of metal spikes that would flatten the tires of someone trying to get on an off-ramp. But placing metal strips on every off-ramp would be extremely expensive, so it’s doubtful that spike strips would be the answer. But really, the question of wrong-way drunk drivers—who make up only a small minority of alcohol-related accidents—brings up the greater question of what can we do to prevent all drunk driving? You have a 30 percent chance of being injured or killed in an automobile accident caused by an intoxicated driver as some point during your life. Shouldn’t we do more to stop drunk driving?

Suspending the impaired driver’s license is a partial remedy, but statistics show that between 50 and 75 percent of people that have had their license suspended for drunk driving continue to drive. Combining some time in jail in addition to license suspension is effective to stop some people from driving while intoxicated. But the fact is that the majority of people arrested on their first drunk driving charge have driven drunk approximately 87 times prior to their arrest. If we could reach all drivers and convince them of the ramifications of a drunk driving arrest or fatal accident caused by their impairment, we could drastically reduce the number of drunk driving arrests and alcohol-related accidents. Driver education of the perils and risks of driving under the influence of alcohol has helped reduce the rate of drunk drivers somewhat over the past decade, but more, much more, still needs to be done.

The most feasible and realistic remedy seems to be to put a breath-analyzer called an ignition interlock device (IID) into all new cars starting in, say, 2011 or 2012. The IID would require the driver to blow into it before the car will start. If the driver’s breath registers a blood alcohol level (BAC) above a certain percent, such as 0.4 (the national standard for being under the influence of alcohol is a BAC of  0.8), the car would not start. Judges routinely require that an IID be installed in a convicted drunk driver’s car to ensure he or she is not driving while intoxicated.

Some people argue that there are ways of getting around an IID, such as having a sober person blowing into the IID, getting a permissible reading, and then the drunk driver gets behind the wheel. To prevent this, the IID requires the driver to blow in the IID at periodic intervals to ensure that he or she is indeed under the limit and to avoid the possibility of having a sober friend from blowing into the IID. This is known as the “rolling or running retest.” If a driver fails a running retest, the vehicle’s horn will sound and/or the lights will flash, alerting law enforcement officials. The vehicle will not stop, however, as that could be dangerous.

The technology for IIDs has been around for years. When a person is convicted of drunk driving, the judge often orders that an IID be installed in the person’s vehicle. A person must blow into the device and the vehicle will not start if the driver has measurable alcohol (set to a predetermined level, such as 0.2 or 0.4) in his or her system.

For years, the automobile industry fought the installation of air bags, even though their effectiveness in preventing injuries and deaths was well documented. The auto industry will probably fight the universal installation of an IID because of the added cost to the vehicle. The general public will probably be against a law requiring the installation of  an IID in every new car, because so many of them at least occasionally drive while intoxicated, be it while watching the Super Bowl, attending a wedding or other festive occasion, or getting together with friends for a barbecue.

The plain undisputable fact is that IIDs could keep hundreds of thousands of drunk drivers off the road and save countless lives and injuries. Remember that driving is a privilege, not a right, and that privilege can be suspended or even revoked, especially where a person has been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. Requiring the installation of IIDs in all new cars would go a long way to keeping drunk drivers off the streets and highways and make the roads safer for all of us.

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