Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) ended 2019 by releasing a report showing that Arizona outperforms every state in the nation when it comes to laws that support efforts to stop drunk driving and protect the public.
The report rates all 50 states and the District of Columbia in five categories: ignition interlocks for all drunk driving offenders; conducting sobriety checkpoints; administratively revoking driving privileges upon arrest for drunk driving; creating enhanced penalties for those who drive drunk with a child and adopting penalties and expediting warrants for suspected drunk drivers who refuse an alcohol test.
“The report, the sixth since the launch of our Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving in 2006, serves as a guide for supporters, state and federal lawmakers, traffic safety partners and a roadmap to those who wish to help MADD reach its ultimate goal of No More Victims,” said MADD National President Helen Witty.
In the report, MADD awarded an average national rating of 3.16 out of 5 stars – an increase from 2.96 in 2018.
Arizona received a 5-star rating. In the state, convicted drunk drivers must use an ignition interlock before obtaining unrestricted driving privileges – one of the best such laws in the nation. As a result, drunk driving deaths have fallen by nearly a third.
Eight other states performed well above the national average in 2019: Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Nevada, Oklahoma and West Virginia, which each received a rating of 4.5.
Montana received the lowest rating, with just a half-star.
