Last month, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) released a report to mark the fifth anniversary of the creation of its "Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving." In that report, MADD stated that Pennsylvania and several other states need to increase the severity of their DUI laws in order to decrease the number of drunk driving fatalities in the state and in the country as a whole.

In MADD's "Report to the Nation," the organization analyzed the DUI laws of each state in order to give each state a rating from one to five. Pennsylvania was among the five states that earned a one-star rating, indicating MADD's belief that the state does not do enough to deter and prevent drunk driving. On the whole, the U.S. received a rating of three stars based on an average of the states' individual ratings.

In the five years since MADD launched its campaign, 14 states have enacted mandatory ignition interlock laws for all drivers convicted of DUI, whether the arrest was their first or whether they are a repeat DUI offender. According to the report, one state that implemented an all-offender mandatory ignition interlock law has seen a 46 percent reduction in DUI deaths in the four years since the law took effect.

All 50 states have some form of ignition interlock law, which requires drivers to install a device to measure their blood alcohol level. The device will not allow the car's engine to start if the driver has a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

While preventing drunk driving fatalities is certainly a goal worth pursuing, it is worrisome that first-time DUI offenders will have to deal with the cost and hassle of an ignition interlock device, even if their arrest was the product of an innocent mistake or error in judgment.

Source: ABC News, "New Report Ranks States on Drunk Driving - Illinois Among Top, Pennsylvania Among Lowest," Lisa Stark and Kristina Wong, Nov. 16, 2011