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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Ignition interlocks help prevent drivers who were previously arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI) from being re-arrested, according to researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The researchers in CDC’s Community Guide branch base that on a
systematic review of 15 scientific studies on ignition interlocks.
Researchers found that after these devices were installed, re-arrest
rates for alcohol-impaired driving decreased by a median of 67 percent
relative to drivers with suspended licenses. The review is in the March
issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Ignition interlocks are devices that can be installed in vehicles to
prevent someone from operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) above a specified level. This level is usually 0.02
to 0.04 grams per deciliter (g/dL); the minimum illegal BAC level is
0.08 g/dL in every state. The devices work by sampling the driver’s
breath before the vehicle can be started and periodically while it is
operating.
Interlocks are most often used to prevent impaired driving by people who
have already been convicted of DWI. They may be mandated through the
court system or offered as an alternative to a suspended driver’s
license. The Task Force on Community Preventive Services, an
independent nonfederal body of public health experts, recommends the use
of ignition interlocks for people convicted of alcohol-impaired driving
on the basis of strong evidence of their effectiveness in reducing
re-arrest rates.
Impaired-driving crashes resulted in nearly 11,000 deaths in the United
States in 2009-nearly one third of all traffic deaths. The annual cost
of impaired driving is more than $110 billion. Preventing impaired
driving and the injuries and deaths that it can cause is a priority for
CDC.
“Each day, more than 30 people die because of alcohol-impaired driving.
We know that interlock devices can save lives,” said CDC Director Thomas
R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “More widespread use of ignition interlocks
will reduce alcohol-related crash deaths and injuries.”
As of December 2010, 13 states require interlocks for all convicted
offenders, including a first conviction. More than half of all states
require some offenders-such as those with multiple convictions, or an
extremely high BAC at the time of arrest-to install ignition interlocks.
Nonetheless, only a small proportion of DWI offenders participate in
interlock programs, and according to the authors’ greater use of
interlocks will be needed if they are to meet their potential for
reducing impaired driving.
“When offenders’ licenses are suspended, they aren’t legally able to
provide transportation for themselves and others who may rely on them to
get to places like school and work,” said Randy Elder, Ph.D., scientific
director of systematic reviews with the Community Guide branch and lead
author on the review. “Ignition interlocks allow offenders to keep
operating their vehicles legally. At the same time, they effectively
ensure that they do so more safely-not under the dangerous effects of
alcohol.”
CDC recommends:
* More widespread use of interlocks.
* Ignition interlocks for everyone convicted of DWI, even for
first convictions.
Full-text versions of the evidence review are available online at
www.thecommunityguide.org.
CDC is also releasing “Policy Impact: Alcohol-impaired Driving,” one in
a series of briefs highlighting key public health issues and important
science-based policy actions that can be taken to address them. Through
this new publication, CDC supports state-based efforts to strengthen
policies related to preventing alcohol-impaired driving. Learn more at
www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/alcoholbrief.
CDC’s Injury Center works to protect the safety of everyone on the road,
every day. For more information about impaired driving and motor vehicle
safety, please visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety. For more
information about this review, see
www.thecommunityguide.org/mvoi/AID/ignitioninterlocks.html.
Background on The Community Guide
The Guide to Community Preventive Services is a resource for people who
want to know what works in public health. It provides evidence-based
recommendations and findings about public health interventions and
policies to improve health and promote safety. The Task Force on
Community Preventive Services, an independent, nonfederal body of public
health and prevention experts, makes these findings and recommendations
based on systematic reviews of scientific literature conducted under the
auspices of the Community Guide. CDC provides ongoing scientific,
administrative and technical support for the Task Force.
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