Technology Decreases Drunk Driving Accidents in New Mexico

Driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) in New Mexico is against the law, and anyone driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher is breaking the law and endangering other motorists. People who are driving drunk are not focusing on the road, have slower reflexes, and are more likely to be involved in a serious car accident in New Mexico.

For several years New Mexico led the nation in alcohol-related accidents. Activists and groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) made continuous anti-drunk-driving efforts, and in 2005 New Mexico was one of the first states to adopt the ignition interlock law. During this same year, the state of New Mexico created the nation’s first DWI czar, enacted tougher drunk-driving laws, and increased the number of sobriety checkpoints on its roads.

The interlock law requires every person convicted of drunk driving—even first-time offenders—to install an ignition interlock system in their car. This technology, combined with anti-drunk-driving campaigns, produced an 11.3 percent decline in alcohol-related fatalities in 2005. A first-time conviction for driving while intoxicated (DWI) in New Mexico results in the following penalties:

• $500 fine
• Up to ninety days in jail
• Participation in a DWI school rehabilitation program
• Attend an alcohol abuse evaluation and screening program
• Twenty-four hours of community service
• Ignition interlock device installed on vehicle for one year
• One-year license suspension and requirement to obtain ignition interlock driver’s license

If a driver is convicted of a second DWI in New Mexico, penalties can include additional jail time, increased fines, double the amount of community service hours ordered on the previous conviction, and two years of driving with an ignition interlock system. Each time a driver is arrested and convicted of DUI in New Mexico, the fees and penalties increase. With the fourth conviction, a felony goes on the defendant’s record.

Intoxicated driving in New Mexico is still an alarming problem, and the New Mexico state legislature is continually reviewing new bills related to DWI in New Mexico. The legislature recently passed Senate Bill 32, increasing the DWI chemical test fee from $65 to $85 effective July 1, 2010.

If you have been injured in a car crash in New Mexico and you believe that the other driver was drunk, contact the law firm of Keller & Keller today at (505) 938-2300 for a free legal evaluation. You may be entitled to financial compensation for injuries resulting from the other driver’s negligence.

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