 |
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
People ask “How can these people still be driving? Why doesn’t Illinois do something about people that get DUIs?” Well, the State of Illinois is doing something: there are severe penalties for drunk driving. Any person with 4 or more DUI convictions will have his/her driving privileges revoked for life.Unfortunately, revoked licenses didn’t stop the people that made the headlines above. Those people drove even though their licenses were revoked. How many times did they drive while intoxicated but weren’t caught? Statistics show that 50 to 75% of the people with suspended or revoked licenses continue to drive anyway. How can we stop them from driving?
Effective January 1, 2009, Illinois drivers that get convicted of DUIs will be required to have a Breath Analyzer Ignition Interlock Device (BAIID) installed on their vehicles. However, this new law still does not address the thousands of people that currently have lifetime license revocations in Illinois. Many studies have proven that the BAIID is effective in keeping drunk drivers from driving. The State of New Mexico was the first state to implement an Ignition Interlock law and has seen a significant reduction in alcohol-related deaths and crashes. In 2003, New Mexico passed the Ignition Interlock License Act, to allow all revoked drivers to apply for an Ignition Interlock License as long as the vehicle was insured. (All revoked drivers may apply, with the exception of those that have been convicted of vehicular homicide or great bodily harm by vehicle while intoxicated.) We propose to amend the current law to include provisions similar to the State of New Mexico’s Ignition Interlock License Act, so that drivers that currently have revoked licenses can obtain a restricted license and will be required to install an ignition interlock (BAIID) on their vehicles. We are trying to make Illinois roads and highways safer by ensuring that people with revoked licenses will not drive without a restricted license or without insurance—especially if they are driving under the influence.
An ignition interlock will keep them from driving drunk because the car won’t start if they’re under the influence!We absolutely do not want drunk drivers on the road! There are thousands of people with revoked Illinois licenses driving on Illinois roads and highways at this very moment – see our Facts page. They have no BAIID, no insurance and, unfortunately, many will end up driving drunk - see our Facts page. We are not trying to change any penalties for DUI’s, such as fines or minimum and maximum incarceration periods. We are merely trying to get restricted licensing for people who currently have lifetime driver’s license revocations and BAIIDs installed on their vehicles. We want to STOP them from further endangering lives by driving without a license or insurance—possibly drunk. Right now, it’s obvious that there’s nothing stopping them… See our Facts page for this alarming statistic in the State of Illinois. To date, the Committee has contacted State Representatives, but much more effort is required to amend the current law and gain public support. Please read through our site. As you can imagine the costs are high. We need your support. Please consider donating to help us in this effort. We thank you for the time you’ll hopefully spend on our site. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions, suggestions or to get additional information not contained in these pages.
|
||||||||||||
