New Survey Results: Stop Anyone Impaired by Alcohol From Driving Any Vehicle, Public...

New Survey Results: Stop Anyone Impaired by Alcohol From Driving Any Vehicle,
Public Says

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- People are ready to
prevent any driver from starting a vehicle after drinking too much alcohol,
even though the technology to do it isn't available yet. Responding to a new
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety survey, people across the nation said
they like the idea of using advanced technology to stop drunk drivers from
operating their vehicles. About 2 of 3 respondents deem this a good or very
good idea, assuming the technology is reliable. More than 40 percent would
want such devices in their own cars if offered as an option. Drinkers and
nondrinkers alike favor the concept.

The results are the Institute's first take on what people think about
equipping all vehicles with alcohol detection devices that would be more
sophisticated than the ignition interlocks in some vehicles today. A total of
1,004 people were surveyed July 15-19. Results are weighted for the U.S.
population.

"The results are clear-cut and a bit surprising," says Anne McCartt, Institute
senior vice president for research. "We didn't expect to find support across
the board for the idea of detecting alcohol in everybody, but this survey
tells us people are ready to crack down on all impaired drivers, not just
those who've had DWI convictions."

Nearly 3 of 4 respondents said they'd heard about interlocks being required in
cars of people with DWI convictions. Wired to ignitions, the devices keep
vehicles from starting if convicted offenders register blood alcohol readings
above a predetermined level, usually well below the legal blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) threshold of 0.08 percent.

About 180,000 interlocks are in use nationwide. They're successfully reducing
the risk that prior offenders will commit repeat violations. However, most
fatal-crash-involved drivers with illegal BACs haven't had a DWI conviction in
the past 3 years. If interlocks had been in all vehicles, not just those of
prior offenders, to prevent driving above the legal limit, more than 8,000
lives could have been saved last year, the Institute estimates.

An impediment is the device itself. Interlocks mandated for DWI offenders are
"unwieldy and obtrusive," McCartt points out. "This is okay for convicted
offenders but not for every driver on every trip. An alcohol detector that's
suitable for all drivers would have to be all but invisible and require
virtually no upkeep. It would have to be quick and easy to use and provide
accurate readings. No such device exists yet, but it's being worked on."

The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety program, a partnership between
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Automotive Coalition
for Traffic Safety, is exploring new detection technologies that one day could
be developed for widespread use.

"The idea is to stop anyone from operating a vehicle if the BAC registers 0.08
percent or higher, not to prevent drivers from having any drinks at all before
getting in their cars," McCartt explains. Sixty-four percent of survey
respondents said the devices would be a good idea in all cars if the
technology proves reliable. Only 30 percent said it's a bad idea. Not
surprisingly, support is stronger for use by convicted drunk drivers.
Eighty-four percent of people surveyed said this is a good idea, compared with
15 percent who said it's not a good idea or a bad idea.

Among the 33 percent of respondents who volunteered that they never drink,
approval of the devices in all cars is 74 percent. It's still high, at 66
percent, among people who said they drink once a week. Even among people who
said they drink 4 or more times a week, support for the devices is about 50
percent.

Twenty-six percent of survey respondents who regularly drive and also said
they drink admitted to driving within 2 hours of consuming alcohol. Seventy
percent of these people volunteered they might have gotten behind the wheel
when over the legal alcohol limit. Presumably these are the drivers who would
be most affected by detection devices, but 55 percent said they consider the
devices a good idea for everyone. This isn't much different from the 60
percent of drivers who drink but say they never drive within 2 hours of
drinking.

Asked why they're a good idea, 67 percent of survey participants said
interlocks prevent drunk driving. Saving lives and preventing crashes are the
next most often cited reasons. About a third of respondents who felt the
technology is a bad or very bad idea cited concerns about privacy or
government interference, while 20 percent said not all drivers need to be
screened. Others mentioned concerns about the device's accuracy and cost.

Forty-two percent of the people who regularly drive said they would want an
alcohol detection device in their next vehicle if it were available as an
option and the price were reasonable. Most people felt a price under $500
would be reasonable. Of the 54 percent who said they wouldn't want a device,
44 percent volunteered they don't drink alcohol so it wouldn't be useful.
Forty-four percent of drivers who drink said they would want an alcohol
detection device in their next vehicle.

Alcohol-impaired driving is a big contributor to fatal crashes, and most
impaired drivers are never arrested. A total of 11,773 people died in crashes
involving drivers with BACs at or above 0.08 percent in 2008. This represents
32 percent of all traffic-related deaths.

SOURCE Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Russ Rader of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, +1-703-247-1530,
rrader@iihs.org