New way to stop drunk driveing

The connection between alcohol, drugs and crime is an ongoing concern. Drinking and drugs can negatively affect all aspects of a person’s life; hurt family, friends and community; and create public safety and economic problems, according to the National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence.
For example, impaired drivers account for a significant number of accidents, deaths and injuries. In 2014, more than a third of all Iowa traffic fatalities involved an impaired driver.
This year, the Iowa Senate approved an initiative to reduce these fatalities and other drug and alcohol-related crimes. SF 2190 would establish 24/7 Sobriety pilot projects in counties that want to try the program. Accountability is the foundation of 24/7 Sobriety. Offenders must take breath tests twice a day or wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet. If offenders test positive for alcohol, they face immediate consequences.
Results in other states have been positive. South Dakota, for example, saw a reduction in arrests for repeat DUI and domestic violence offenses. In 2005, South Dakota was the first state to establish a 24/7 program, with a five county pilot project that has since expanded. A study of that state’s efforts published in the American Journal of Public Health found that “that frequent alcohol testing with swift, certain, and modest sanctions can reduce problem drinking and improve public health outcomes.”
In North Dakota, the before-and-after results for convictions and crashes improved significantly after 24/7 program intervention. According to transportation researchers at the North Dakota State University, “The 24/7 Sobriety Program clearly deters most participants from partaking in dangerous behaviors.”
Establishing a 24/7 Sobriety pilot project in Iowa won bipartisan approval in the Senate and is now under consideration in the House.