Some Recommendations for Action on Drunk Driving

1. Create an Accident Review Board to investigate all alcohol related accidents – (like the Federal Transportation Safety Administration does with airline and other transportation accidents) and determine the causes of each crash.
2. Create an ongoing Drunk Driving Action Group (DDAG) with a broad array of public and private sector partners. A subset of this group would meet monthly to consider the following five steps (all five steps to be considered at every meeting).
   • Review and update the baseline data on alcohol related traffic fatalities and injuries
   • Consider evidence on causes, including the findings of the Accident Review Board, and relevant research.
   • Consider how to engage partners with a role to play in doing better.
   • Consider evidence about what works and what it would take to reduce rates of alcohol related fatalities and injuries, including successful actions of other states, relevant research on effective programs, and possible no-cost / low cost actions.
   • Decide on actions to be taken by panel members and recommendations for actions by non-panel governmental and private sector partners.
3. The DDAG would produce an annual report to the public on alcohol related traffic accidents and fatalities, with accomplishments and recommendations.
4. Expand and improve treatment programs so that they are free and easily available anyone who needs it.
5. Institute monitoring of court ordered treatment using breath interlock devices that call in to a central monitoring station in the same way that home detention parolees do now. A high tech version of this might include geo- location and communication technology.
6. Publish the names of the top 10 most dangerous drunk drivers in NM based on recent conviction records.
7. Create a special hotline for people to report individuals with a pattern of drunk driving. Treat these calls in the same way that calls about child abuse are treated.
8. Create a program for children in cooperation with media that gives them specific  things they can say and do when they know someone who drives while intoxicated. Children are often afraid to speak to adults in such situations, but card or cutout messages could be printed and distributed in schools and in newspapers.
9. Create mandatory reporting requirements for certain occupations (i.e. bars, liquor stores, airlines, car rental, parking facilities etc.) to report intoxicated persons within a specified period of time.
10. Create a program to work with businesses to take alcoholism seriously by requiring coworkers to report incidents and alcoholic employees to enter treatment. Consider penalties for companies who fail to take this responsibility seriously.
11. Consider drunk driving convictions in other states (as reported in the NCIC) in granting or denying a driving license.
12. Consider incarcerating people with 3 DWI convictions until a doctor certifies that they are no longer a danger to self or others. In other words, apply the same criteria for detention that is now applied to psychopathic killers. Build the necessary facilities to house these offenders in the community or institute a strict form of home detentio n.
13. Bars and liquor stores (in Europe) who serve inebriated customers who then cause crashes are liable for damages. Consider a similar law here.

Read the complete PDF here.