Mothers Against Drunk Driving rates drunk-driving reform efforts in Texas in the middle percent of the nation. Texas received 2.5 stars on the 5-star rating scale.
MADD's 2018 Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving Report to the Nation rates every state’s drunk driving laws and highlights drunk driving countermeasures related to MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving.
The report explains MADD’s vision to eliminate drunk driving in America
“Texas has made great progress by passing laws that are proven to save lives,"the organization announced Wednesday. "MADD will continue to work with legislators to make sure these laws are effective and advocating for improvements when they are needed to protect the public from the tragedies caused by drunk driving.”
Five categories
MADD awarded stars to states for adopting drunk driving laws and/or implementing proven countermeasures that include:
--Conducting sobriety checkpoints.
--Ignition interlocks for all drunk driving offenders.
--Boosting penalties for people who drive drunk with children in the vehicle.
--Participating in “no-refusal” activities for those suspected of drunk driving, such as expedited warrants and requiring ignition interlocks for suspected offenders who refuse an alcohol test.
--Using administrative license revocation for drunk driving offenders — the revocation of driving privileges upon arrest.
The five categories each have two subcategories, allowing for half-star ratings for states that need to improve their existing laws. For example, all states that conduct sobriety checkpoints receive a half-star, but those that conduct them at least once a month receive a full star.
Texas received stars for child endangerment laws, interlock laws, no refusal laws and license revocation laws.
The report recommends adding compliance-based removal to existing all-offender ignition interlock laws, legalize sobriety checkpoints and ensure they are conducted monthly, make ignition interlocks available to first-time offenders upon arrest and require ignition interlocks or criminalize refusing an alcohol test to improve its rating and increase public safety.