After witnessing the ramifications of a terrible drunk driving accident, Texas State Representative, Bill Callegari, decided to take action.
According to the Katy Times, back in September of 2006, a car driven by Todd Levin, and his girlfriend, was struck by a drunk driver. Levin died instantly, and shortly after so did his girlfriend. Not only did Representative Callegari consider Levin a friend, but he also saw him as a constituent, whose tragic death needed to be remembered.
In response to the unfortunate accident Callegari introduced House Bill 506, the “Todd Levin Memorial Act” which requires all persons convicted of driving while intoxicated must have an ignition interlock device installed in their vehicle.
The current Texas law does however require the interlock devices to be installed in the vehicles of drivers who have had 2 or more DWIs or those that have had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 of more – nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08.
Studies have shown that mandating the use of ignition interlocks can reduce the repeat of drunk driving offenses by 64% – and currently 8 states have authorized the installations of interlock devices for all driver convicted of driving while intoxicated.
The Katy Times reported that the new bill “would require that an ignition interlock device be installed in the vehicle of a driver convicted of a first time DWI offense with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or greater”.
“Repeat drunk drivers make up a significant percentage of the drunk driving problem on Texas roads,” Callegari said. “According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, nearly one-third of those convicted of drunk driving were previously convicted of the same offense”.
Statistics show that the State of Texas happens to be one of the tops states in regards to drunk driving offenses.
All of us at Dagley Insurance encourage Texas drivers to think twice before getting behind the wheel—it’s not just about your safety, but about the safety of others as well.