John Becker
Drunk driving accounted for 9,967 car crash deaths in 2014, equating to one every 53 minutes. On average, one in three people will be involved in a drunk driving accident in their lifetime. For drunk drivers serving a suspension, anywhere from 50 to 75 percent continue to drive illegally while serving that suspension.

The statistics are sobering.

In an effort to reduce the number of lives taken by drunk drivers, the Ohio House passed House Bill 388, also known as Annie’s Law. At its core, this legislation strives to guarantee that repeat OVI offenders are unable to get behind the wheel impaired again.

If passed by the Ohio Senate, House Bill 388 work to achieve this goal by allowing repeat offenders to install an ignition interlock device, or IID, in their vehicle to act as a breathalyzer that must be passed for the engine to start. Rather than serving a suspension that only permits driving to work or school, offenders with an IID will be able to have unlimited driving privileges with the assurance that they are sober while operating the vehicle.

For the namesake of Annie’s Law, Annie Rooney, such a provision could have helped save her life as she drove home the evening of July 4, 2013. After facing drunk driving charges four times, serving three license suspensions and consuming countless drinks on that Fourth of July, a drunk driver was still able to get in her car and drive, leading to Annie’s death. Had this individual needed to pass a breathalyzer in order to start her car, she would have never been able to drive away from the bar that night.

We must put a stop to the loss of innocent lives like Annie’s at the hands of drunk drivers.

I was happy to vote in favor of House Bill 388 to move Ohio closer to a day where individuals are no longer able to start their car after a few too many drinks.