Sleek-Jet
Aquarius
HDF Supporter
The Cooler
  
Batavia, IL
Posts: 6,351
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Big 'Ole Inner-tube
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Posted: Feb. 18 2004,3:17 am |
Post # 1 |
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And you thought only California legislators came up with crazy ideas. From the Farmington Daily-Times:
SANTA FE — Every driver in New Mexico would have to prove they had not been drinking in order to start their car, under a House bill designed to curb the state’s DWI problem.
House Bill 126, passed Monday 45-22, would require all vehicles bought and registered in New Mexico to be equipped with DWI-prevention ignition interlock devices.
The interlock measures a driver’s alcohol level either through their breath or on their skin. A positive reading prevents the car from being started. It also registers the number of times a driver tries to start a car unsuccessfully.
Currently, only drivers convicted of aggravated DWI — 2,000 out of 20,000 DWI convictions in 2003 — are court-ordered to have the ignition interlocks.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ken Martinez, D-Grants, said it does not make a presumption motorists statewide are guilty of drinking, despite being required to take the test proving their innocence.
“It’s not a guilt or innocent thing. It’s a safety issue like an air bag or seat belts,†he said. “I think its constitutional.â€
Other House members opposed a bill which they said mirrored a George Orwellian society of Big Brother.
“This legislation is taking over personal responsibilities,†said Rep. James Roger Madalena, D-Jémez Pueblo. “I don’t know if we’re at this point to have this kind of legislation.â€
Rep. Donald Bratton, R-Hobbs, agreed.
“How far are we going to carry this? Next year we’ll have small cameras above the driver shutting down the car if a person blinks too much,†he said. “Let’s don’t punish all the citizens of the state of New Mexico.â€
Lawmakers, responding to Gov. Bill Richardson’s challenge for them to pass tough DWI laws, said they want New Mexico to be known as the Land of Enchantment and not the Land of the Drunken Driver. There were more than 200 DWI deaths last year in the state.
“The only place we can solve this (DWI) problem is through citizens,†Martinez said. “This bill would require all citizens to stand up and say ‘I will not drink‚’†He added, “Each time a drunken driver drives drunk they get a little more braver. We want to stop the drunken driver before the conviction.
New cars would be required to have factory-installed ignition interlocks beginning in 2008. It would raise the price of a vehicle by $300 to $500, Martinez said. The ignition interlock devices also need to be calibrated at a cost of $80 every three months. It could be done during an oil change, he added.
Motorists with used cars would be required to install after-market devices — at a cost of $1,000 to $1,500 — on their cars beginning in 2009.
The House also passed Bill 533, 63-0, to give motorists purchasing a car, new or used, on or after Jan. 1, 2005, a dollar-for-dollar match on the 3 percent Motor Vehicle Excise Tax Act — or sales tax — to compensate the cost of the ignition interlock.
That will cost the state $83.3 million in lost tax revenues, according to an impact statement on the bill. The state would also pay to install the ignition interlocks into more than 1,900 vehicles in its fleet.
Motorists who already own their cars, however, would not be compensated — including those with older cars whose value may not exceed the cost of the ignition interlock.
“My concern is it would put New Mexico auto dealers out of business,†said Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces. He added people could also register their cars in El Paso to bypass the legislation.
There were 125,000 new cars and 400,000 used cars sold in 2003 in New Mexico, according to the state’s Taxation and Revenue Department.
That would cost the state’s general fund $540 million, or 13 percent of the state’s budget, said Rep. Eric Youngberg, R-Corrales.
DWIs cost the state $1 billion a year from insurance costs to emergency rooms to loss of life and property, Martinez said, adding the savings would exceed the cost.
Martinez said the ignition interlocks were needed. He cited repeatedly the case of an intoxicated Bureau of Indian Affairs employee who drove a BIA truck the wrong way on I-40, killing two Nebraska couples on vacation.
The state does not have jurisdiction, however, over BIA vehicles or other vehicles registered with the federal government.
Native American sovereignty could also become an issue for the state’s 22 tribes and pueblos as well as a portion of the Navajo Nation. Martinez said they would be included in the bill despite their sovereignty as long as they have New Mexico license plates.
Rep. Ray Begaye, D-Shiprock, added there needed to be a balance between a law requiring ignition interlocks and for the state to fund alcohol treatment centers.
“There are none. There’s one down in Gallup. They’re trying to build one in Shiprock but there’s very limited funding,†he said.
A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his.
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3-12-2025 Three Word Post.....The Next Generation.... (Rep.#19,658) from: BigDog
 I'm just glad I'm done with NM and will NEVER move back there again 
Calibrating 
Just wish that a few of my other family members took my example....My sister died in Las Cruces, NM a few years ago from alcohol poisoning/overdose. Alcohol is bad stuff that's for sure.... Not preaching here, to each is own, but it's just not for me anymore. Now I'm a good boy 