Anti-DUI devices could become U.S. mandate

WASHINGTON, July 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Congress may soon be considering whether to require convicted drunken drivers nationwide to use alcohol ignition interlocks.

The devices, installed in automobiles, require drivers to submit to a breath test before turning the key and prevent cars from starting if they sense alcohol. A federal transportation funding bill, expected to be up for debate after the August recess, would cost states federal transportation aid if they do not make the devices mandatory for everyone convicted of DUI, USA Today reports.

Eleven states now have such laws and 47 require at least some drivers to install them, with Alabama, South Dakota and Vermont the only holdouts.

Supporters of the law, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving, say the devices are a proven success. In New Mexico, the first state to require them of everyone with a DUI conviction, alcohol-related fatalities dropped 35 percent after the law was adopted in 2005.

Critics say the devices do not distinguish between drivers who have had a drink and drivers who are actually impaired.