Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is urging Oregon lawmakers to act on HB 3075, which requires ignition interlocks for roughly 11,000 Oregon DUII offenders who receive DUII Diversion, and HB 3324, which expands the use of interlocks for third and fourth time offenders.
In the state of Oregon alone, there are approximately 25,000 DUII arrests per year. It is estimated that about 11,000 of these arrests result in Diversion thus creating a loophole where an offender is free of an interlock requirement. HB 3075 would require interlocks for these offenders and also requires convicted drunk drivers to pay a $50 administrative fee which is expected to generate an additional $945,300 to Oregon’s Intoxicated Driver Program Fund with $700,000 going towards treatment programs. HB 3324 requires very serious offenders to install ignition interlock devices for 5 years.
Studies show that a first-time convicted drunk driver is usually not a first-time offender, but rather, it is simply the first time they have been cited. Sadly, the Oregon Department of Transportation estimates that 37 percent of these first time offenders on Diversion will become repeat offenders. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), ignition interlocks, on average, reduce drunk driving recidivism by 67 percent.
For more information about these house bills, DUII or DUII Diversion, contact Galm Law today.