WASHINGTON 鈥� The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety released a on how states are performing when it comes to enacting laws to make highway travel safer.
The title of the report, 鈥淢issing in Action,鈥� indicates how the group sees lawmakers鈥� efforts to toughen road safety requirements. Noting the rise in highway deaths and efforts to rollback highway safety laws in some states, the report summary reads, 鈥淭ime for State Leaders to Get to Work.鈥�
In the report, each state was given a rating: green, yellow or red, with green being a state with the most 鈥渙ptimal鈥� legislation 鈥� stricter rules for graduated licensing for teens, for example. D.C. had a 鈥済reen鈥� status, Maryland and Virginia each earned the 鈥測ellow鈥� designation.
During a news conference at the National Press Club Thursday, Maryland was under particular scrutiny. Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger, who ripped into the state鈥檚 track record last month when one of his officers was killed by a man accused of drunken driving, said at the news conference, 鈥淭he state of Maryland needs to do better. This nation needs to do better.鈥�
Manger was referring to the fact that Maryland lawmakers have failed to enact a mandatory interlock law for all drivers found guilty of driving drunk 鈥� even first offenders. The bill has repeatedly died in committee.
Aside from requiring first time offenders to install an interlock device 鈥� which prevents drivers from being able to operate the car if they are under the influence 鈥� Manger wants the interlocks required for longer periods of time.
鈥淔or example; for a second arrest 鈥� make it a year. For repeat offenders, make it five years 鈥� ten years. And for the worst repeat offenders 鈥� make it for the rest of their driving lives,鈥� Manger said.
Manager called it 鈥渁n outrageous fact that an individual can be convicted multiple times of drunken driving, and yet never see the inside of a jail cell.鈥�
Manger said he would be working with lawmakers to ensure that a bill calling for mandatory use of interlock devices gets out of a committee where it鈥檚 stalled repeatedly. Joan Claybrook, the former Administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, called the committee and ones like it 鈥渃emeteries鈥� where tougher bills go to die.
Claybrook singled out Maryland for criticism on passing tougher drunken driving laws. She mentioned the interlock law that Manger wants to see passed.
鈥淒espite broad public support as well as bipartisan support in the Maryland legislature, the bill has died in the same committee over, and over again. Maybe we need to have a term limit for that committee chairman,鈥� Claybrook said.
Claybrook was referring to Maryland State Delegate Joseph Vallario, a defense attorney who has in the past, refused to give a hearing to interlock legislation spearheaded by the Maryland chapter of MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving. On the first day of this legislative session, Vallario was quizzed about his plans for the bill this year and asked if he鈥檇 move it out of committee. He said they鈥檇 have to hold hearings on it first, and he didn鈥檛 know what might happen after that.
After the death of 24-year-old , Manger vowed to lobby state lawmakers to get tough with drunk drivers. Asked about how the effort is going so far in Annapolis, Manger said he was encouraged that the bill would at least get a hearing, and said a lot of pressure was being brought to bear to get the bill on interlocks passed this year.
