Tennessee to Require Ignition Interlocks Following DUI Conviction

Individuals convicted of DUI in Tennessee will be required to have ignition interlocks in their cars in an effort to prevent drunken drivers from getting behind the wheel. The new requirements will go into effect on July 1st, and cars with such systems installed cannot be started if the driver registers a blood alcohol level of more than .02.

The driver will apparently be photographed when taking the test, and reports of higher levels of alcohol are also to be reported to law enforcement authorities. It is claimed that states with similar type laws in place have had decreases in DUI fatalities by more than 30 percent.

Any sort of legislation that will result in less drunk driving is welcome. Unfortunately, we know that certain individuals with nevertheless be able get around the system and somehow discover a way to drive while impaired. Some individuals will borrow other people’s cars to drive. Still others will drive after taking other drugs or medications.

Individuals often have to endure great pain and hardship due to injuries suffered in drunk driving accidents. When individuals are injured or killed due to drunk driving, the injured person and their family suffer in a number of ways. There will certainly be medical costs, and not all medical costs will be picked up by insurance. Injured drivers are also often out-of-work for weeks or even months, and few families can afford the financial hardship.

It’s not only drivers that may be held accountable to injured clients and their attorneys due to the fault of a drunk driver. Those that have sold alcohol to someone already inebriated may be required to pay damages as well. Collecting from establishments is often necessary because the driver that drove drunk may not have insurance or any sort of financial assets that can help the victims of these crashes out.

Source: The Tennessean, “Advocates tout new law that targets DUI offenders,” June 3, 2013