Massachusetts only state without ignition interlocks for first offenders
Boston — Massachusetts is now the only state in the nation that does not allow for drunk-driving offenders to use ignition interlocks after a first offense. Previously, Idaho and Massachusetts were the remaining two states without any type of program for first-time offenders to use the in-car breathalyzers rather than face license suspension. Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter last week signed into law legislation that requires first-time offenders to install an ignition interlock for one year.
Ignition interlocks prevent a vehicle from starting if alcohol is detected on the driver’s breath. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all-offender interlock laws reduce drunk-driving recidivism by 67 percent. Interlocks are currently only required in Massachusetts after the second and subsequent drunk-driving offense.
“All the New England states have all-offender ignition interlock laws, and we are pushing to make the July 31 deadline for passing a similar law in Massachusetts,” said Mothers Against Drunk Driving President Colleen Sheehey-Church.
All-offender ignition interlock language was included in the Senate’s criminal justice reform legislation this year, but was not included in the final conference committee report. The all-offender bill S.2006 has been sent to a study order by the Joint Committee on Transportation.
According to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drunk-driving fatalities are reduced by 16 percent in states with all-offender ignition interlock laws, while states that require ignition interlocks for repeat offenders only experience a 3 percent reduction in drunk-driving deaths.
