Missouri Governor Blunt Announces New Proposal to Keep Drunk Drivers off Missouri Highways and Roads

January 10, 2008 -- JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri Governor Matt Blunt today announced his plan to better protect Missourians from drunk drivers requiring repeat offenders to modify their vehicles to ensure they cannot endanger other Missourians by drinking and driving.

“To protect Missouri families and ensure our roads are as safe as possible, drunk driving offenders simply should not be allowed to get behind the wheel without some assurance they are fit to drive,” Gov. Blunt said. “My plan to toughen our drunk driving laws ensures 100 percent of repeat offenders will not be given the privilege to drive without first taking serious precautions to prevent them from again drinking and driving and endangering Missourians.”

Gov. Blunt is calling for legislation to require drunk driving offenders to modify their vehicle ignition switches before their driver license is reinstated. Under current law courts are required to mandate ignition interlock devices, a vehicle modification system that disables a vehicle’s ignition if the driver is drunk or drinking, on the second or subsequent offense. However, poor compliance in the judicial system has meant that more than 80 percent of repeat drunk driving offenders are getting back on the road without any protections to assure they are fit to drive.

Gov. Blunt’s proposal would strengthen existing law by making ignition lock devices a necessary requirement before the state will issue a repeat drunk driving offender a new driver license. The change would mean that regardless of judicial action or the penalty imposed by the courts, 100 percent of repeat offenders will be required to modify their vehicles if they wish to maintain the privilege of driving in Missouri.

In 2005 there were 3,163 drivers convicted of second and subsequent offenses. Of those only about 19 percent, or 614, were required by the courts to install the interlocks. Gov. Blunt’s proposal would modify driver license laws to require that after a second or subsequent drunk driving conviction, Missourians would have to install an ignition interlock device before receiving a license. The repeat offender would also be restricted to operating only the authorized vehicle with the ignition interlock device installed. It is already against the law to defraud an interlock device to allow someone whose license is restricted to drive.

Ignition interlock devices cost between $40 and $70 initially and about $70 monthly to maintain, a cost charged to the offender.

The governor’s proposal continues his strong stance against alcohol offenders. Last year Gov. Blunt signed legislation closing a loophole in the law that had allowed some arrested for drunk driving to avoid prosecution on a technicality. He also signed legislation creating two new classes for repeat DWI offenders, aggravated and chronic, that both carry increased penalties. In addition the governor strengthened Missouri’s laws against underage drinking by changing penalties to address both the possession and consumption of alcohol by minors. In Missouri a minor could be found guilty of a “minor in possession” if he or she is visibly intoxicated or has a blood alcohol content of more than .02. New laws enacted by the governor also prohibits adults from allowing minors to drink on their private property unless they are the minor’s legal guardians and requires school districts to create a policy detailing the consequences if a student is found to either possess or drink alcohol on school property or at school events.

Source: Missouri Governor

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