An Orange County woman was arrested early one recent Saturday morning on suspicion of drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter after an early morning crash left a motorcyclist dead, Fullerton police said. The crash occurred at the intersection of West Walnut Avenue and South Lemon Street in Fullerton as the suspect’s car turned left and the decedent’s motorcycle ran into the rear right fender of the car.  Mothers Against Drunk Driving cite this case and others like it as the basis for supporting California Senate Bill 1046, calling for mandatory IIDs for all convicted drunk drivers, including first time offenders.  Although Governor Brown signed SB 1046 into law, a study on the effectiveness of IIDs to deter drunk driving reveals some surprising results.

Background

Responding to pressure from such organizations as MADD, the California legislature previously passed a bill requiring mandatory IIDs for all first time offenders in four counties, including Los Angeles County. Originally set to expire in January, 2016, the program was extended through July, 2017. SB 1046 establishes mandatory IIDs for all counties beginning in January, 2019.

The Data

Information was collected from the four counties that participated in the pilot program and was compiled in a report published in 2015 by the California DMV entitled, “General Deterrent Evaluation of the Ignition Interlock Pilot Program in California.” The conclusion from the Report Documentation Page:

• “…the IID pilot program was not associated with a reduction in the number of first-time and repeat DUI convictions in the pilot counties.”

Because of this conclusion, opponents of SB 1046 argued that the state’s resources would have been better used in focusing on multiple DUI offenders who create the greatest driving risk.

The Penalties

• A first-time DUI offense involving injury would require an IID for six months.
• A first-time non-injury DUI offense would require an IID for six months with full driving privilege if a person does not want to serve a one year suspension with a restricted license.
• A second-time DUI offense would require an IID for a year.
• A third-time DUI offense would require an IID for two years.
• A fourth or subsequent DUI offenses would require an IID for three years.

The Costs

The convicted DUI offender must install an IID in every ca that us registered to his or her name at an initial cost of $75 -125 and monthly maintenance and calibration fees of $60 -80.