IGNITION INTERLOCKS AND DRUNK DRIVING

1. IGNITION INTERLOCKS AND DRUNK DRIVING Richard Roth, PhD Research Supported By NM TSB, NHTSA, PIRE, and RWJ Denver Interlock Institute October 20, 2009 Sponsored by MADD and NHTSA

2. Drunk Driver Plows into Mexican Bike Race One Dead, 10 Injured , June 1, 2008 NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

3. An Ignition Interlock is anElectronic Probation Officer • Dedicated Probation Officer in Front Seat • On duty 24 hours per day • Tests and Records daily BAC’s • Allows only Alcohol-Free Persons to Drive. • Reports All Violations to the Court • Costs Offender only $2.30 per day. (1 less drink per day)

4. Interlocks are Effective, Cost-Effective and Fair • Interlocks reduce DWI re-arrests by 40-90% • They reduce the economic impact of drunk driving by $3 to $7 for every $1 of cost. • Interlocks are perceived as a fair sanction by 85% of over 12,000 offenders surveyed. • ..But they only work if… • you get them installed.

5. I. The New Mexico Program • Evolution of Laws • Interlock Installations vs Time • Currently Installed Interlocks vs Time • Interlock Licenses Granted • Three Comparisons to Other States

6. 1. The New Mexico Laws • 1999 Optional Judicial Mandate for 2nd and 3rd DWI • 2002 Mandatory Sentence for 1st Aggravated and All Subsequent Offenders. • 2002 Indigent Fund • 2003 Ignition Interlock License available for all revoked offenders with no waiting period. (Admin. Prog.) • 2005 Mandatory Sentence: 1 yr for 1st; 2 yrs for 2nd; 3 yrs for 3rd; and lifetime with 5 yr review for 4 or more. • 2005 ALR and JLR periods increased • 2009 No Unrestricted License without Interlock Period NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

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8. Jun-09 9769 NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

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10. Currently Installed Interlocks by State NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

11. Per Capita Interlocks by State NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

12. II. Measures of Effectiveness • Recidivism After a DWI Arrest • Recidivism After a DWI Conviction • Overall Statewide Recidivism vs Time • Reduction in Alcohol-Involved Crashes • Reduction in Alcohol-Involved Injuries • Reduction in Alcohol-Involved Fatalities • Correlation between Interlocks Installed and Measures of Drunk Driving • Opinions of Interlocked Offenders

13. Recidivism After a DWI Arrest in NM NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

14. Recidivism After a DWI Conviction NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

15. Overall DWI Recidivism NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

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22. Survey of 1513 Interlocked Offenders • 88% Helpful in avoiding another DWI • 83% Helpful at reducing their drinking • 89% Effective at reducing their drunk driving • 70% Cost-Effective..benefits outweigh the costs • 80% A Fair Sanction For DWI Offenders • 72% All convicted DWI’s should have interlocks • 63% All arrested DWI’s should have interlocks. NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

23. III. INTERLOCK PROGRAMS • Identify Goals • Increase Incentives • Eliminate Hoops • Close Loopholes • Triage Sanctions • Research

24. 1.Identify GoalsEffective, Cost-Effective, and Fair Reduction of Drunk Driving. • Get interlocks installed ASAP after DWI. • Get all offenders to install. • Keep interlocks installed until there is evidence of changed behavior.

25. 2.Increase the Incentives • Right to Drive Legally • Right to Re-register Vehicle • Avoid Electronic Sobriety Monitoring • Avoid Jail • Satisfy one requirement for an Unrestricted License • Deferred prosecution

26. 3.Eliminate the Hoops • Period of Hard Revocation • Fines and Fees Paid • Outstanding legal obligations • Alcohol Screening and Assessment • Medical Evaluation • DWI School • Victim Impact Panel • Community Service

27. 4. Close Loopholes Increase Incentive. Eliminate Hoops No waiting out Revocation Period. “No Car” or “Not Driving” Excuse. Ineffective penalty for DWR. Serve warrants for Non-compliance

28. 5. Triage Up in Sanctions • Extension of Interlock Period • Photo Interlock • Home Photo Breathalyzer • SCRAM • Treatment • House Arrest • Jail

29. 6. ResearchMeasures of Effectiveness • Interlocks per Arrested Offender • Recidivism of Interlocked vs Not Interlocked. • Reduction in Overall Recidivism. • Reduction in DWI Crashes. • Reduction in DWI Injuries. • Reduction in DWI Fatalities.

30. IV. What We Have Learned in NM • Judicial Mandates get more interlocks installed than Administrative requirements. 3 to 1 in NM. • First offenders must be included because they are 60% to 80% of all DWI offenders, and almost as likely to be re-arrested as subsequent offenders. • There must be an Interlock License available ASAP. • Revoked offenders are 3-4 times more likely to be re-arrested for DWI than interlocked offenders. • Hard revocation periods just teach offenders that they can drive without being arrested. • Given a choice, most offenders choose revocation over interlock …and they keep driving after drinking. NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

31. Loopholes that Remain in NM • “No Car” or “Not Driving” excuse • No interlock between arrest and adjudication (Learning, DWI, Absconding) • Ineffective Penalty for DWR • Possibility of waiting out revocation period without installing an interlock • No Objective Standard for Indigency NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

32. Loopholes that Remain in NM#1 “No Car” or “Not Driving” The FIX Task Force • Electronic Sobriety Monitoring: • As a condition of Probation • For all who claim “No Car” or “Not Driving • For the same period and cost as an interlock • Paid for by the offender • Minimum of morning and evening checks per day. • Eg. Smart Start IN-HOM Photo Breathalyzer. • A fee equal to the cost of an interlock to be used for supervised probation. Expected Result More Interlocks, Less Recidivism, Less Drunk Driving NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

33. Loopholes that Remain in NM#2 No Interlock Between Arrest and Adjudication. The Problem: Some Offenders re-offend between arrest and adjudication Some offenders abscond. i.e. they are a flight risk. Offenders learn that they can drive while revoked with a low probability of apprehension Task Force The FIX Immobilization or Interlock between Arrest and Adjudication or Void Vehicle Registration on Arrest (unless interlock is installed or arrest is successfully appealed) or Interlock as a condition of bond Expected Result More Interlocks, Less Absconding, Fewer DWI’s between Arrest and Adjudication NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

34. Loopholes that Remain in NM#3 Ineffective Penalty for DWRToo Strong..Not Applied The FIX (SB 307) Vehicle Forfeiture for Driving While Revoked without an Interlock Expected Result More Interlocks, Less Recidivism, Less Drunk Driving Compromise-Task Force NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

35. Loopholes that Remained in NM#4 Offenders Wait Out the Revocation Period without Interlock The FIX SB 275 No Unrestricted License without a period of Interlock • All those revoked for DWI • must have a minimum of 6 months of driving with an interlock and an interlock license, and • Must fulfill any Judicial Interlock Mandate • Before they are eligible for an unrestricted license. Expected Result More Interlocks, Less Recidivism, Less Drunk Driving SB 275 Became NM Law July 1, 2009 NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

36. With No Objective Standard, NM Judges Certify up to 35% as Indigent. NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference 36

37. V. Myths About First Offenders • First Offenders Drove Drunk Once • Are Not Alcohol Abusers or Alcoholics • Are a Negligible Part of the DWI Problem • Are Less Likely to be Re-Arrested • Are Not Responsible for Most DWI Fatalities • Interlocks are not cost-effective for them • Interlocks are a fair sanction for them • Interlocks are not effective for them • Interlocks are too lenient. Revoke them.

38. First Offenders Are Not First Offenders They have driven an average of 500 times after drinking before their first arrest. R. Roth. Anonymous surveys of convicted DWI offenders at Victim Impact Panels in Santa Fe, NM NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

40. First Offenders are Just as Dangerous as Subsequent Offenders NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

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43. VI. Young Offenders • Have the highest DWI arrest rates • Have the highest re-arrest rates • Have the highest DWI crash rates

44. DWI Citations Fall Off Dramatically With Age Underage drinkers do not have the highest arrest rate, but NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

45. Those who have their first DWI before 21 have the highest 5 year re-arrest rate. NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

46. Whether a drunk drivergets home safely or kills someone does not depend on It just depends on a four letter word that rhymes with “duck”. • Prior Drunk Driving Trips • Prior DWI Arrests • Prior DWI Convictions LUCK NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference

47. VII. Miscellaneous Findings • Females are an increasing fraction of DWI • Longer interlock periods are more effective for subsequent offenders. • How do interlocked offenders get re-arrested for DWI? • Variations in Installation Rate by County.

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49. Recidivism vs Duration of Interlock….PRELIMINARY DATA 1 year is Best A year or more is best (4th or More) More than a year is best More than a year is best NHTSA/MADD Orlando Conference