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Newsroom: Press Releases
Senator Lautenberg Applauds NTSB Ignition Interlocks RecommendationSenator's Bill Would Require Ignition Interlocks to Stop Drunk Driving Repeat OffendersLautenberg Press Office, 202-224-3224Tuesday, December 11, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today applauded the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for its recommendation that all states require the use of ignition interlock technology after a person's first drunk driving conviction. Senator Lautenberg introduced legislation in this Congress to prevent drunk driving repeat offenders, and plans to reintroduce the bill in the new year. "Drunk driving continues to be a major problem in this country, with nearly a third of vehicle fatalities involving alcohol. To keep drunk drivers off of our roads, we have to stop drunk driving before it starts and ignition interlocks are one of the best ways to do that. The NTSB recommendation on ignition interlocks holds the potential to save countless lives each year, and we should pass my bill requiring ignition interlocks for all drunk driving offenders to make our roads safer,” Lautenberg said. The Lautenberg bill, which he introduced with Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), would mandate that states require an ignition interlock for a minimum of six months for all drunk driving offenders, and states that fail to comply with this mandate would face a reduction in federal transportation funding. During his tenure in the Senate, Lautenberg has fought to reduce drunk driving and underage drinking through a series of legislative victories. Senator Lautenberg wrote the law that lowered the legal blood alcohol limit to .08 in all 50 states. He also authored the law that established a national legal drinking age of 21, which has helped save thousands of lives across the country.
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