PositionPaper

Didyouknowthatin2013,137peoplediedinNewMexicoduetoalcoholrelated
accidents?(NewMexicoMonthlyTraffic1).Therehasbeenargumentsaboutthelawsfor
drunkdrivinginNewMexicobeingtoostrict.Icompletelyagreewiththesearguments.
NewMexicosdrunkdrivinglawsarestricterthenmost.ByreducingthelawsinNew
Mexicowecankeepthedrunkdriversofftheroadandkeepthefataliststhesameor
lower.Thesedrunkdrivinglawsareveryrestricting.Theyarentkeepingintoxicated
driversoffoftheroadlikeexpected.Reducingtheselawscanalsopreventthepolice
fromputtinginnocentpeopleinjail.Wewanttocatchtheoffendersthatwilldriveagain.
Wedontwanttosendthepeoplethathadoneglassofwineatdinner,gotstoppedand
arenowgoingtojailfortheirBACbeingalittleoverthelegallimit.Theselawscan
reallybenefitthewholestateandcanmaketheroadssafer.Ifeelthatreducingtheselaws
willkeeptheinnocentpeoplefromgettingincarceratedbutcanalsokeepthedrunk
driversofftheroad.Changingthelawscantalwayskeeppeoplefromdoinghorrible
crimes.MorethanhalftheU.S.stillhasthedeathpenaltyandtherearestillpeoplethat
breakthelaw,knowingthattheconsequencesarefatal.Howcaneasingthelawsstop
drinkinganddriving?HowarethelawsinNewMexicostoppingdrinkinganddriving
thusfor?
FirstoffweneedtoknowthelawsthatNewMexicohasondrinkinganddriving.
InNewMexicothelawsfordrinkanddrivingareasfollows:TheBACforaperson21or
olderis.08.ThelegalBACforaperson20oryoungeris.02.Ifyouarecaughtwitha

BACthatisoverthelegallimitthearrestingofficerwillrevokeyourlicenseonthespot.
Theamountoftimethatyourlicenseisrevokedisdeterminedonhowmanyoffenseyou
havealreadyreceived.Ifyouareconvictedincourtyoucanalsobeaccountablefora
fine,jailtime,communityservice,ignitioninterlockandmanymore.Ifyouareconvicted
foraDWIitisrequiredthatyougetaninterlocknomatterthenumberofoffense.(New
MexicoDUIandDWI)NewMexicolawenforcersareverystrictinenforcingthese
laws.
Thesestrictlawshaventbeenveryhelpfulinkeepingdrunkdriversofftheroad.
Therehavebeenmanycasesinthelastcoupleofyearsthatshownochangeinstopping
drunkdriversfromrepeatingtheircrime.OneofthewaysthatNewMexicolawsare
tryingtostoprepeateddrunkdriversisrequiringanyonethatisconvictedofaDWIto
haveanignitioninterlockinstalledintheirvehicle.Theamountoftimetheinterlock
staysinthecardependsontheconvictionandthecrime.Thewayaninterlockworksis
thatthedriverneedstobreathintoabreathalyzertostartthevehicle.Throughoutthe
drivethedriverisrequiredtobreatheintothebreathalyzerrandomly.Therehavebeen
studiesthathaveproventhatinterlockshavedecreasedtheamountofdrinkingand
driving.TheUnitedStatesNationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAssociationconducteda
studyinNewMexicothatwascompletedbetween19992002.Thesestudieshave
concludedthattherateofrearrestswas66%lowerwhentherewasaninterlocksystem
installedratherthenonewithoutone.(EvaluationoftheNewMexicoIgnitionInterlock
Program,UnitedStatesNationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAssociation.)Thisstudyshows
thattheignitioninterlocksystemisveryhelpfulinnotpreventingdrunkdrivingwhile

theyareinstalled.Therecouldbelongerperiodsthattheseinterlocksareinstalled.What
aboutaftertheignitioninterlockistakenout.In2014a56yearoldmanwasfinally
indictedforanotherDWIcharge.Thisgentlemanhad10previousDWIcharges.This
manhad10previouschargesofDWIandhewasfinallyindicted.(Stanley,James,Man
with10DWIconvictionschargedagaininLasCruces LasCrusesSunNews)Ifhehad
previouschargeshewouldhavereceivedaninterlockonallofthem.Thestrictlawson
interlocksdidnotseemtoworkonhismanandmanyotherrepeatoffenders.
ThestateofNewMexicoandmanyotherstateshaveBACof.08thelegallimit
foradult21orolder.Peopleclaimthatevenatthe.08limittheyarenotphysically
impairedandcanstilloperateavehiclewithnoproblem.Therehavebeenclaimsstating
thatMilddrinkersarelessdangerousdriversthanheavydrinkers,andtheygeneratea
smallfractionoftrafficfatalities. (GRANT,DARREN,"DeadonArrival:Zero
ToleranceLawsDon'tWork.")Therehavebeenstudiesthatprovethisclaim.Withthese
stricterlaws,lawenforcementsarecatchingandarrestingthepeoplethatarentcausing
thebigamountsoffatalcaraccidents.TheBAClimitshouldbehigherbecausedrivers
withahigherBACaretheonescausingtheaccidents.Peoplearedifferentlyaffectedby
alcohol.
Thewayalcoholhitsthebodyvariesbetweenpeople.Itvariesbetweenweight,
amountconsumed,amountoffoodconsumed,andthetimebetweendrinks.Another
majorfactorisifyouareaseasoneddrinkerornot.Thismeansifyouareusedto
drinkingandyourbodyisusedtohavingalcoholinitssystem.Overtimeyouwould

havebuiltatoleranceforit.Ifyouarenotaseasoneddrinkerthenthealcoholcanaffect
youdifferently.InthebookbyBjork,JM,andJMGilmantheystate,First,becausethe
pharmacokineticsofalcoholcanvarygreatlyasafunctionofsituationalfactorssuchas
drinkingrate,concentrationofalcoholinthebeverage,oringestionwithfood,well
controlledlaboratoryadministrationisessentialformechanisticstudies.Moreover,great
variationinthetimingoforalalcoholactioninthebrainremainsbetweenlaboratory
participantsduetosexdifferences,age,genetics,orduetoadaptationstochronicalcohol
infirstpassmetabolisminthedigestivesystem(Neuropharmacology102). Theauthors
arestatingthatitisdifficulttodotestsonhowalcoholaffectsthehumanbrainbecause
therearemanyfactorsthateffecthowyourbodyintakesalcohol.Thereisnowaythat
youcanbecertaineveryoneiseffectedbyalcoholthesame.Someonecanhaveonedrink
andcanbewellunderthelegallimitbutcanstillharmsomeoneinacaraccident.There
innotellingwhethersomeonecanstilloperateavehicleevenafteronedrink.
Havingstricterlawsfordrivingwhileintoxicatedcannotreducetheamountsof
fatalities.Thestrictlawsoninterlockscanhelpreducetheamountofdrunkdriverswhile
theyareinthevehicle.Whentheyareremoved,thatswhenyouseemoreaccidentsand
morerepeatedoffenders.Havingtheignitioninterlocksinstalledformuchlongerthen
theyusuallyaredoesntseemtohelpeither.TherehavebeenmanycaseslikethenoneI
previouslytalkedabout,thatshowevidencethatinterlocksdontpreventrepeatoffenders.
Iflessenedthelawswecankeepthedrunkdriversofftheroad.Mostimportantlywecan
keepinnocentpeopleforgettingconvicted.WecouldalsolowerthelegalBAC.The

studyresearchedbyGrantDarrenshowedthatlowerBAClevels,thelesslikelythe
personistogetintoafatalcaraccident.Alcoholaffectspeopledifferently.Someonecan
haveonedrinkandbephysicallyimpaired.Thebestwaytokeepdrunkdriversoffthe
roadistohavestricterlaws.BasedonthesestudieshavingalowerlegalBACcanstill
keepdrunkendriversofftheroad.

Work cited
"NewMexicoDUI&DWILaws&EnforcementatDMV.org:TheDMVMadeSimple."
DMV.org.Web.3Feb.2015.
NewMexicoMonthlyTrafficFatalityReport,2014,TheUNMGeospatialandPopulation
StudiesTrafficResearchUnit.UNM,Feb.2015,Feb14,2015
GRANT,DARREN."DeadonArrival:ZeroToleranceLawsDon'tWork." EconomicInquiry.
48.3(2 Bjork,JM,andJMGilman."TheEffectsofAcuteAlcoholAdministrationonthe
HumanBrain:InsightsfromNeuroimaging." Neuropharmacology.84(2014):10110.Print.
010):763769.
JamesStaley."Manwith10DWIconvictionschargedagaininLasCruces."LasCrucesSun
News(NM)30May2014,News.NewsBank.Web.5May2015