The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) thinks states ought to require ignition interlock as a condition of driving for anyone convicted of DWI, including first-time offenders. So does the U.S. Congress. The NTSB made its recommendation last week as part of its report on a special investigation into vehicle crashes occurring as a result of wrong-way driving. And a provision of the highway safety bill adopted by Congress last summer provides grants to states that require ignition interlock for everyone convicted of DWI. Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, Pub. L. 112-141. North Carolina currently requires ignition interlock as a condition of regaining a driver’s license for persons whose licenses were revoked for a DWI conviction and who (1) had an alcohol concentration of 0.15 or more; (2) were convicted of another offense involving impaired diving within seven years of the offense for which the person’s license is revoked; or (3) were sentenced at Aggravated Level One, the highest level of punishment for a misdemeanor DWI. G.S. 20-17.8. So our state’s ignition interlock requirements would have to be expanded to comply with the NTSB recommendation and to render North Carolina eligible for the newly authorized grant funding. The NTSB concluded that installing ignition interlocks on the vehicles of all DWI offenders would reduce accidents caused by alcohol-impaired drivers. But the board’s recommendations related to in-vehicle alcohol detection systems extended beyond this group of identified offenders. The NTSB recommended that car manufacturers and the government accelerate the development of [...]
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