An Associated Press story this week covered the decrease in drunk driving fatalities from 2007 to 2008. In an all-too-predictable move, MADD is attempting to credit harsh interlock laws for the drop:
Chuck Hurley, the chief executive officer of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, also noted that improvements were made in states such as New Mexico and Arizona which have adopted tough laws using breath-monitoring ignition interlock devices for offenders.
ABI called out MADD’s phony claims in yesterday’s Miami Herald:
It’s disingenuous for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to credit ignition interlock laws with the decrease in drunk driving fatalities in New Mexico and Arizona.
Fatalities went down in 43 states, not just the handful of states with interlock mandates on the books in 2008. In fact, the biggest decreases occurred in Wisconsin, Maine, and Vermont – none of which have the draconian interlock laws of the two southwest states. Vermont doesn’t even use the devices at all.These numbers don’t tell us much about drunk driving behavior or the effectiveness of interlock laws. The decrease in fatalities can be attributed to a bad economy and high gas prices. Put simply, Americans drove less in 2008.
There’s no credible data to support MADD’s claim that interlock laws save lives. But it’s no surprise that they’d try to spin the numbers.
Chalk up another entry in MADD’s long, sad history of distorting stats and facts to push for greater regulation.
UPDATE: This letter was also published in today’s Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
