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By admin, July 21, 2010 2:48 pm

MADD Impact Panels

Mothers against Drunk Driving or MADD was founded in 1980 by a mother who lost a teenage daughter in a car accident involving a drunk driver.  The program began as a grass-roots campaign and has grown steadily over the past thirty years. MADD has become one of the largest non-profit organizations in the United States and has played a major role in many of the nation’s campaigns against drunk driving.  In Arizona, the laws that MADD have supported have made their way into DUI Penalties.  For example, for a DUI offense in Arizona a vehicle ignition interlock device is required for one year. MADD is also offering an Impact Panel as part of court ordered rehabilitation.  The impact panel is designed to illustrate how impaired driving can affect other people.  To gain entry to the class you must first pass a breathalyzer test and pay a class fee ranging from thirty to forty dollars.  Once you complete the course you will be given a certificate of completion that you must present to the court.

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By thoug, January 4, 2010 10:34 am

In late December, 2009, U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) announced that he and U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) had proposed new legislation with the support of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD). The new legislation would make ignition interlock devices (IIDs) mandatory for all individuals convicted of driving drunk in any state, even first-time offenders.

Senator Udall indicated that New Mexico aggressively applied the ignition interlock penalty to all offenders and that the measure has saved lives. He said he believes that “…enacting it nationwide would have the same positive and resounding effect.”

If the proposed legislation is approved and enacted, the federal government may take away part of a state’s transportation funding if they do not adopt and enforce the law’s strict requirements. This would essentially ensure that ignition interlock devices would become a mandatory consequence of DUIs throughout the U.S.

A MADD representative indicated that 50-75% of those with suspended licenses due to DUIs continue to drive anyway. The ignition interlock system, MADD said, allows a person to go to work, school or necessary destinations as long as they have not consumed alcohol.

More specifically, the proposed federal legislation would require any person convicted of DUI to use an IID for six months. Currently, only the following states require IIDs for all drunk driving offenders: Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New York, Alaska and Hawaii.

Although some might say IIDs are an unnecessary inconvenience, their merits are quite considerable:

• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found through studies that subsequent DUI arrests fell by 73% with the IID installed.
• Drivers using the device had fewer crashes than those driving on suspended licenses.
• A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed that convicted drunk drivers who used the ignition interlock device caused 30% fewer fatalities.

If you are seeking legal advice for a DUI in Arizona, you may already be aware of how stringent the laws are in this state. If the Beauchamp Law Office can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to utilize our services by calling us today.