Will Interlocks Improve Highway Safety?

The number of alcohol-related deaths has plummeted in the last 3 decades. Most of the decline occurred during the 1980s and early ‘90s—when drunk driving organizations focused on educating the public and punishing high-BAC, repeat offenders. A little over a decade ago, the drop in fatalities plateaued and has remained stagnant every since.

What happened? The problem didn’t change. Since 1997, the average BAC of a driver in a fatal crash has remained relatively stable at 0.18 percent—225 percent of the legal limit. On the other hand, the policies aimed at combating the drunk driving problem changed for the worse. Instead of targeting alcohol abusers who continued to drive at high-BAC levels, organizations like MADD locked their sights on non-abusive drinkers by lobbying to lower the legal limit from 0.10 to 0.08 percent.

But national statistics and academic research show that the promise of 0.08 was not realized. One 2007 study published in Contemporary Economic Policy found “no evidence that lowering the BAC limits to 0.08 g/dL reduced fatality rates, either in total or in crashes likely to be alcohol related.”

Now, campaigns for universal interlocks will take the public’s focus even farther away from the main offenders who are—as MADD has described them—“a hard core of alcoholics.” Disabling the cars of responsible drivers after one or two drinks will do little to affect traffic safety. Today, the majority of accidents are caused by negligent driving.

While drunk driving fatalities declined over the last 30 years, speeding and distracted driving deaths have steadily increased. And now negligent driving is the main cause of deaths on American highways.

Even though speeding contributed to 13,113 fatalities in 2005—more than any other factor—most 2008 vehicles continue to boast top speeds well over the highest speed limits (some as fast as 200 mph). Even though recent studies show that 80 percent of crashes result from driver distraction and distracted driving is the number one killer of teens, the number of electronic gadgets available for use during commutes continues to skyrocket. For instance, the number of Americans on cell phones has grown by almost 200 million since 1995.

These deadly habits continue to claim lives on American roadways each day, but “traffic safety” activists aren’t calling for mandatory speed governors (devices that limit a car’s top speed) or for technology to disable mobile phones once a car is running. Those who are committed to preventing the most accidents should be focused on these problems.