Each year, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) release a “Report to the Nation,” as they call it, on the state of drunk driving laws across the U.S. The agency assigns a rating ranging from one to five stars to determine the strength of a particular state’s drunk driving laws and regulations.
While some states like Mississippi fared very well with 4.5 stars, Massachusetts was awarded only two stars. Part of the issue for the Commonwealth was that while there is an administrative suspension law is on the books, the interlock device is not required for all first-time offenders following an administrative license suspension. This resulted in just a half star. There was another half star awarded for a child endangerment statute, but not a full star because it is only a misdemeanor. We were also given one full star because the state does have sobriety checkpoints set up at least once a month on average. Continue reading