Protect South Carolina Against Drunk Drivers

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) would like your consent to send an email on your behalf to your House Judiciary Committee. I consent to having this message sent to our House Judiciary Committee identifying me as the author or signer, using my full name and other contact information.

Subject: Support S 28 to help stop drunk driving.

As your constituent, I urge you to support S 28, which would expand the use of ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers. Thirty-four states have similar laws, and the research is there to prove this change saves lives.

Currently, judges are required to order all repeat offenders and first-time offenders with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15 or greater to install an ignition interlock. S 28 requires any first-time drunk driver to use an ignition interlock for six months. It also requires interlocks for those who want to drive on a Temporary Alcohol Restricted License if their original license is suspended for refusing to blow.

In the US since 2006, these devices have now blocked 3.8 million attempts to start a car with a .08 BAC or higher. Just think of the tragedies that have been prevented, but very few of these stops came from South Carolina. According to the CDC, interlocks are effective in reducing repeat drunk driving offenses by 67 percent. An ignition interlock is more effective than license suspension alone, as 50 to 75 percent of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive on a suspended license. Recent studies have found that all-offender interlock laws reduce drunk driving deaths by 16 percent. Considering more people died on South Carolina roads in 2021 than in any year ever, I urge you to support S 28.