Legislation has been passed, and people across the U.S. have seen the effectiveness of the ignition- interlock device. Unfortunately, the laziness and ignorance of people, some who you would not expect, has kept the device from saving innocent people
On May 28, 1987 LaDoris Cordell became the first judge in California to require the installation of the ignition-interlock device upon first-time conviction for drunken drivers. She received harsh criticism from her colleagues “who wanted to dispose of these cases quickly and quietly.” They saw the extra paperwork involved in issuing the device as a waste of time.
Twenty years later Cordell’s goal of legislation for the interlock device has become a reality. Today, all 50 states grant a judge with the authority to mandate installation of the device. But, her peers are still disgruntled due to the same issue: time constraints.
Some judges across the U.S. still have this view point regardless of evidence which demonstrates the effectiveness the ignition-interlock device on our society. “The American Journal of Preventive Medicine notes that five out of six studies found that interlocks reduced the rate of recidivism for DWI charges. Participants in the interlock programs were 15 percent to 69 percent less likely than other offenders to be rearrested for drunken driving.”
Currently, the future of this legislation is in the hands of the judges across America. So Ms. Lambert I am challenging you to make a change, take the power. Judges should no longer have the option of whether or not to use the legislation.It should be mandatory.
http://www.slate.com/id/2229209
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