When Were Drunk Driving Laws Introduced?
Drunk driving laws were first introduced in New York in 1910, but blood-alcohol level regulations weren’t introduced until the 1930s. During that time, the American Medical Association and National Safety Council put together task forces to research and develop criteria that could be used for both testing drivers for inebriation as well as measuring intoxication levels.
(Looking for a Car Accident Lawyer? Contact us Today! Click here: injuries motorcycle accident attorneys)
It’s no secret that drunk driving is a dangerous crime. It can lead to a wide variety of charges and penalties, from driver’s license revocation to fines and even jail time. It also costs the nation billions of dollars every year, and the victims of drunk drivers are often not only injured, but their families are also devastated.
Until the 1970s, most drunk driving laws were not particularly strict and were more about making people aware of the dangers of drinking and driving than they were about punishing those who made bad decisions. This changed, though, thanks to a combination of public awareness campaigns and legislation.
In the 1980s, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was founded by Candy Lightner after her 13-year-old daughter died from a car crash that was allegedly caused by a drunk driver. She and her organization worked tirelessly to fight the problem of drunk driving.
The group focused on educating the public about the risks of drunk driving and helped create more stringent drunk driving laws in the United States. Its efforts were a major contributing factor to lowering the number of drunk driving accidents in the country.
MADD’s focus on the issue led to a number of changes in the law, including increasing the legal drinking age from 18 to 21. It also pushed for the use of breathalyzers, which are devices that measure alcohol concentration by photometry and chemical oxidation.
While the legal limit for blood-alcohol content has changed since then, the BAC still remains one of the most important drunk driving factors. Several states, including Utah, have recently voted to lower their BAC limits, though it’s unknown whether this move will help reduce the number of drunk driving accidents.
Open Container Laws Have Not Been Shown to Have a Negative Effect on Drunk Driving
Some states have banned open containers of alcohol from vehicles, but it’s impossible to know if they make a difference. That’s because determining whether or not an open container makes a driver more likely to be arrested is nearly impossible. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Mothers Against Drunk Driving have not published any statistics comparing deaths from drunk driving in states with and without such laws, however.
Nevertheless, some experts believe that open container laws can have a positive impact on driving safety. Some argue that they give police officers a more reasonable reason to pull over inebriated drivers.
Other experts say that they’re a good way to remind drunk drivers to slow down and pay attention to the road. They may even have the ability to prevent a fatal accident, because people who drink and drive are more likely to make decisions that can cause an accident.