New DUI / Ignition Interlock Laws Reflect Need for Designated Driver Services

June 24, 2010 - PRLog -- Beginning July 1, and for the next five years, people caught driving under the influence in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Tulare counties will have to put ignition interlock systems on their cars.  Of the four counties, only Los Angeles has businesses offering designated driver services as a safe alternative to driving under the influence.  

An ignition interlock is essentially a breathalyzer wired into your car's ignition system.  A clean breath test is required to start the car and randomly occurring retests ensure the person who started the car is the one still driving it.  

Designated driver services are companies and organizations that get both you and your car home safely after a night of drinking.  Some of them use foldaway scooters that they stow in your trunk while they drive you home in your car.  Some send two people in a chase car so that one can drive your car home while the other follows.

DrinkingAndDriving.Org President, Allen Porter suggests designated driver services are playing an increasingly important role in drunk driving prevention due to an unexpected impact of these laws.

"These new laws present a situation where the court can impose punishment on you AND your family.  It goes like this …

Dad goes out, gets himself a DUI and now the family car has an ignition interlock on it.  Now the rest of the family is prevented from driving the family car after drinking too!  It's still OK for Mom to go out and have a drink, but she is faced with the same situation in using the car as Dad.

With ignition interlock, somebody has to blow below a .02 to start the car and no sober person is going to blow for you AND be your passenger for the rolling retests.  If you drink, you need a clean driver to get home.  A designated driver service is a simple solution to this dilemma."

Allen continued, "Most drivers who drink don't want to get a DUI in the first place.  This is when it really pays to familiarize yourself with your local designated driver services. Most people are familiar with the concept of choosing a designated driver when you go out with friends.  However, you cannot always count on friends and sometimes you may go out alone.  Whenever you drink, you need to know your alternatives to driving under the influence.  So before you get a DUI, get to know your local designated driver service."

DrinkingAndDriving.Org's National Directory of Designated Driver Services (at http://www.drinkinganddriving.org/tools/services.html) shows five designated driver service companies operating in Los Angeles County.  "In states like Washington and Illinois that have passed statewide legislation similar to this pilot, we have seen new designated driver services springing up in counties that previously had none.  I expect to see that same growth here in California," he said.  The National Directory of Designated Driver Services currently lists businesses in 147 counties across 33 states.

There are nearly 7,000,000 licensed drivers in these four counties.  Los Angeles County alone is estimated to have 5.2 million licensed drivers.  With a population of 4.9 million people, Los Angeles has nearly twice the population of Alameda, Sacramento, and Tulare counties combined.  Designated driver services typically operate in higher population areas.  After laws like this pilot program are enacted, new ones start popping up in other areas.

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DrinkingAndDriving.Org is a 501c3 Non Profit teaching drivers who drink how to avoid driving drunk. DrinkingAndDriving.Org creates and provides educational materials and tools to prevent drunk driving. DrinkingAndDriving.Org's "DUI Avoidance Lesson Plan" and drunk driving prevention tools like the National Directory of Designated Driver Services are always available on their website at http://www.drinkinganddriving.org.