The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
60°F
Current Conditions
Scattered clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

The Vox Box

  1. Blogs
  2. The Vox Box
  3. A Solution to Drunk Driving?

A Solution to Drunk Driving?

As of January 1, Washington is requiring people convicted of drunk driving to install ignition locks on their cars. For the car to start, the driver must blow into the ignition lock, which reads their blood alcohol level. If the level is too high, the car won't start. The ignition lock requires periodic re-testing while the car is on as well.

Users are required to pay for the devices themselves, which run at about $80, but installing one allows the driver to avoid license suspension. Several other states adopting this bill made the ignition lock mandatory after a license suspension, but Rep. Roger Goodman, the law's author, explained that they are trying to lower the number of people driving on suspended licenses.

If the drivers are caught using someone elses car or having someone else blow into the ignition lock, they face jail time.

Read more about the law here 

Do you agree with this law? Do you think that the ignition lock will stop drivers from getting behind the wheel drunk? Should driver's licenses be suspended before installing the lock?

In 2006, then-editor Steve Smith of The Spokesman-Review had the idea of starting a publication for an often forgotten audience: teenagers. The Vox Box was a continuation of the Vox, an all-student staffed newspaper published by The Spokesman-Review. High school student journalists who staffed the Vox made all content decisions as they learn about the trade of journalism. This blog's mission was to give students an opportunity to publish their voices. The Vox Box and the Vox wrapped up in June 2009, but you can follow former staffers' new blog at http://voxxiez.blogspot.com.