Installing interlocks on all convicted drunk drivers' vehicles would
save approximately 4,000 lives a year. I only wish my son could have
been one of those lives saved. On May 3, 1988, Courtney was playing
with his two older cousins at his grandmother's house. Hearing the
alluring music of an ice cream truck, Courtney followed his cousins
outside. That's when the offender's car came barreling down the street
and hit Courtney at 70 mph, dragging his small body more than 150 feet
before the car stopped. My son was killed instantly.
The drunk driver had a blood-alcohol level of .26 at the time of the crash and was driving with a revoked license and three prior DUI convictions. The driver would have been a prime candidate for an interlock. Instead, he killed my son and got 15 years in prison.
Progress against drunk driving has stalled in recent years. And measures to stop drunks from driving, such as license suspension, aren't having the intended effect. For instance, two-thirds of those whose licenses are suspended for driving while under the influence of alcohol, or DUI, drive anyway.
That's why MADD—along with partners in federal and state government, law enforcement, the automobile industry, and distilled-spirits companies—believe the new campaign to eliminate, not reduce, drunk driving is the perfect antidote to the problem at hand.
More on this article by Glynn Birch in Business Week.
Buckle up your precious cargo, make sure your child's car seat is installed properly, drive defensively and don't drink and drive!
The Staff at AskPatty.com, Inc.
