Editor,
As a lifelong citizen of New Mexico, I would like to add a voice to the interlock discussion. I think the presence of an interlock would prevent the occurrence of drunken driving, because the vehicle simply would not start if the driver were drunk. The law punishes people for their actions after the fact. That is, there is no prevention written into the laws, only penalties after the fact.
Courts cannot replace lives lost due to drunken driving, even from first-time offenders. An ignition-interlock device would prevent drunken driving from a first-timer to a frequent offender. This is the only thing that will work for sure to prevent drunken driving.
The reason that the interlock devices are so expensive is that there are several profit points along the chain between the manufacturer and the end user. Middlemen inflate the price beyond that of its manufactured value, and far beyond the reduced price if the devices were manufactured into every automobile.
Would you argue that a device to measure a vehicle's speed was unnecessarily expensive or too complicated of an issue to implement? I think that everyone will agree that a speedometer is a necessary instrument for the safe operation of a motor vehicle, even though it is more complicated than a Breathalyzer. I think that everyone, including past offenders, would agree that an interlock being present would go a long way toward the reduction or elimination of drunken driving in New Mexico and the rest of the nation. If we all got behind the idea of universal interlock applications being mandatory, we would be doing the state and the nation a big favor. Write your legislators, governor and mayor - become the squeaky wheel. The prevention of drunken driving is a pursuit worthy of your time and attention.
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John Boyd
Daily Lobo reader
