Dear Editor:
Despite the valiant efforts of law enforcement and organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), drunk driving related deaths continue to rise.
There is no more important responsibility of government than the protection of its citizens, and by introducing legislation to help keep drunk drivers off the road it is my hope that those numbers, as alarming as they are, will drop substantially as the years progress.
John’s Law – which has been signed into law in New Jersey and is being considered in other states – requires police to impound for as long as 12 hours the vehicle of a person charged with driving while intoxicated.
The measure also requires police to issue a written notice to the person who picks up the arrestee, warning that person of the potential civil and criminal liabilities if he or she lets the drunken driver get back behind a wheel while still intoxicated.
Drunk drivers should not be allowed to simply return to their cars after they are released from police custody. And those who pick up a drunk driver from the local police station must be made aware of what will happen to them should they allow a person under the influence to again get behind the wheel.
The time has come for a nationwide standard of John’s Law to be adopted. Last year, I introduced a measure (S.2805) in the U.S. Senate that would mirror the New Jersey version of John’s Law – but with one sticking point. Any state that refuses to adopt the measure on a national level would lose federal highway funding for local transportation projects until adopting John’s Law.
John’s Law is a common-sense measure that helps save lives. It makes sense for states to adopt a law that prevents drunk drivers from returning to the road.
John’s Law was named after Navy Ensign John Elliott, a 22-year old from Atlantic County who was driving home from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis for his mother’s birthday on July 22, 2000 when he was killed in a head-on collision on Route 40 in Salem County by a drunk driver who had been arrested hours earlier for driving while under the influence and had been released into the custody of a friend.
If we are to win the war against drunk driving, we need to keep drunk drivers off the road. By allowing police to impound the vehicles of those arrested for DUI, we help prevent accidents and protect lives.
We must do everything in our power to ensure that John Elliott did not die in vain. A nationwide standard would serve to ensure that the memory of John Elliott lives on by protecting the lives of those who might fall victim to those who drink and drive.
According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, there were 17,448 drunken driving deaths in 2001 – up from 16,792 in 2000.
Drunk drivers have torn the fabric of far too many families. By making John’s Law a national mandate we help protect families from having to go through the terrible loss of a loved one to a drunk driver.
Jon S. Corzine
United States Senator
New Jersey