US Restaurant Lobby Fights Breath-Test Ignition Devices

(FOX News) - One of Washington's top trade groups for adult beverages wants to kill a provision in a House transportation bill that would require states to mandate car ignition interlock devices for convicted drunk drivers.

The American Beverage Institute (ABI), an association that represents more than 8,000 US restaurants, claims that by mandating ignition interlocks for anyone convicted of drunken driving, it will deny judges the ability to differentiate between low-risk and "hard core" offenders, managing director Sarah Longwell said.

Interlocks are breath-test devices linked to a vehicle's ignition system that will not allow the car to start unless the driver's blood alcohol concentration is below a preset level.

"Interlocks should only be mandated for people who are 0.15 BAC (blood alcohol content) or above on their first offense or who have multiple offenses at any level," she said. "Below that 0.15 level, a judge should be involved in whether or not the offender gets an interlock."

The provision is included in legislation currently being considered on Capitol Hill. The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, a $260 billion, five-year plan to link job creation to infrastructure projects, sets aside $493 million for federal highway safety grants.

According to a draft of the legislation, if enacted as currently configured, the provision would offer $25 million per year to states that require the devices to be installed in vehicles of anyone convicted of driving under the influence -- even first-time offenders.

In 2010, more than 10,000 people in the US were killed in crashes involving a drunk driver, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates alcohol detection devices could save nearly 8,000 lives annually.

Fifteen states require all convicted drunk drivers to use ignition interlocks, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). After passing ignition interlock laws for all offenders in Oregon and Arizona, those states saw drunken driving deaths plummet by 52 and 51 percent, respectively, the nonprofit group says.

Read more: FOX News