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Johns Hopkins Students Fight for Ignition Interlock Device Legislation

A group of students from Johns Hopkins University traveled to Annapolis yesterday in support of senior Natalie Draisin's efforts to pass the "Drunk Driving Elimination Act" through the House of Representatives.

Stephanie Delman of the JHU Newsletter writes that Draisin became involved with the legislation shortly after her friend and sorority sister Miriam Frankl was killed in a hit-and-run in October.

The driver was Thomas Meighan, who had previously been convicted of driving under the influence several times.

"After Miriam's death, I was obviously upset, but the way I make myself feel better is to go and do something about it," Draisin said. "We could sit and mourn forever, but if we don't do something about [drunk driving], who knows how many more people we could lose?"

The bill would require all individuals with a DUI conviction to install an interlocking breathalyzer device on their car ignitions that prevents the engine from starting unless the driver's blood alcohol content (BAC) is under the legal limit of .08. The device would also record the BAC to be used as evidence in court.

The bill, known as House Bill 743 on the floor, was presented by a team consisting of Draisin, members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and legislative sponsors Delegate Ben Kramer (D-19) and Delegate Tanya Shewell (R-5A).

Similar legislation made it through the Senate last year before being shelved at the House level—this time, Draisin wanted to make sure the bill would move on.

After Frankl's death, Draisin searched for a way to make a difference. She consulted the professor of the Issues in Injury and Violence Prevention course she was taking at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The professor recommended that she consider an independent study on the prevention of drunk driving, which led her to what Draisin calls "the small-scale changes."

Wanting to tackle traffic and safety issues right away, Draisin consulted the Baltimore City Department of Transportation to discuss possible reconstructions of St. Paul and N. Charles St.

Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell involved herself in these efforts, which she called "tangible and necessary."

"We were really surprised at all the different things that Baltimore city officials suggested, they've been very open and very productive," Boswell said. "So many crossings are currently unsafe, there are so many places where traffic isn't stopped in all directions."

Discussions with the Department of Transportation have been ongoing and a follow-up meeting is scheduled for March 11, where Draisin hopes to discuss imminent traffic renovations.

But Draisin was not satisfied staying at a "small-scale" level. She began working with MADD in their attempts to push the Ignition Interlock proposal through the Maryland judicial system.

"I knew right away I wanted to testify [in favor of the Interlock]. If it wasn't going to be introduced, I wanted to push it through," Draisin said.

Under the bill's provisions, any individual with one conviction of driving under the influence would have to use the Ignition Interlock for a period of no less than six months. A second conviction would mean one year with the Interlock, and a third conviction would mandate a sentence of three years.

In the current model, the driver would be required to breathe into the Interlock not only when attempting to start the engine, but several additional times thereafter.

A representative from the makers of Ignition Interlocks explained that the system would continue to "test" the driver intermittently: once after only five minutes, and then again every 20 to 40 minutes.

According to MADD, this system is necessary not only because of thousands convicted of drunk driving each year, but because DUI offenders drive under the influence an average of 87 times before they're actually caught.

"We can't stop the drunks from driving, but we sure can stop the cars from allowing the drunks to drive," said Jan Withers of MADD.

Alternatives to the Ignition Interlock are currently being researched at Harvard, including less intrusive systems that would be able to detect the amount of alcohol in the driver's system simply by laser-scanning his or her finger.

"We have the technology for more advanced systems, but it might take 10 years to get them installed," Withers said.

According to Kramer, the current Interlock model is both necessary and up to par.

"Ignition Interlocks force the convict to modify his or her behavior, and that's what this bill is about - this bill is not about punishment, it's about the modification of human behavior," he said.

The system has already been implemented in 10 states. One of these states, New Mexico, has seen a 65 percent decrease in alcohol-related recidivism. Proponents of the Maryland bill have used this as their example.

According to Withers, the support of those who have lost loved ones to drunk driving is crucial for the passage of this bill.

During Draisin's testimony she called on the Hopkins students to stand and be recognized.

"It is only by chance that I am here today and not Miriam," Draisin said. "It could have been any of us. Unfortunately we can't change the past, we can't bring back Miriam, but we can make something positive come of this."

Boswell said she wholeheartedly supported the students' efforts.

"This is something that the community is looking toward, to see what we can do to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else," she said.

Boswell's department provided buses to shuttle students to and from Annapolis. She said that although she could not personally excuse any students from class for the day, she was willing to speak with professors and explain the situation if need be.

"If students wanted to go, I wanted to make it as easy as possible for that to happen," she said.

Originally 84 students had planned to attend the hearing but fewer than 20 ended up going.

Hopkins students weren't the only ones with a mission at the hearing, however. Nearly a dozen individuals addressed the room during testimony, relaying their personal stories of loss and injury due to drunk driving.

One woman, a Baltimore resident whose daughter was killed by a recidivist drunk driver, proclaimed that she planned to keep fighting for this bill no matter what.

"When I read the indictment [after my daughter's death], one word jumped out: slaughter. Manslaughter. If this bill dies here, people will die with it," she said.