New Jersey Senator wants national interlock laws.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., is sponsoring legislation to the Congress that would require a national mandate for ignition interlock use in all convicted DUI offenders.   Ten states already have mandatory ignition interlock requirements for all DUI offenders, and most have mandatory use for repeat offenders or high level offenders. The national law would withhold federal transportation funds from and state that does not adopt the law within 6 months. Lautenberg unveiled the plan during one of the most dangerous weeks on the roadways.
New Jersey, surprisingly, is not one of the states mandating ignition interlock usage. Instead, the devices may be requested by a judge as part of an offender’s sentencing after the offender has served a full license suspension.  Lautenberg is backing up his recommendation with facts from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staying interlock devices reduce the occurrence of repeat arrests by 73%. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also supports the mandatory use requirement.
The American Beverage Institute is opposed to the measure, saying it takes the power out of the hands of each judge to determine an appropriate punishment based on the severity of an individual crime. The ABI also asserts MADD’s ultimate goal will be to have the devices in all cars, a goal the ant-DUI activist group denies having.  Though somewhat surprisgin, Lautenberg’s proposal does look like another bill that went through a House subcommittee for federal highway funding earlier this year. Even if the bill does not pass at this point, it appears the trend is moving in the direction of mandatory ignition interlock devices nationwide.