ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Florida is one of dozens of states the National Transportation Safety Board is calling on to take a closer look at impaired driving.
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The National Transportation Safety Board recently checked to see how states responded to its 2012 safety recommendations to reduce the tragedies that often follow drunk drivers.
In a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantits, the NTSB gave Florida a passing grade on only four of nine areas.
Among them: increasing the rates of reporting blood alcohol levels, lowering the BAC, adding the location an impaired driver took that last drink to all investigations and requiring an alcohol ignition sensor to all DUI convictions.
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“We’d like to see steps taken at every level of government to make sure that we fight the epidemic of impaired driving,” said Dan Marquith, deputy regional executive director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving overseeing Florida and Puerto Rico.
Marquith said while there’s always room for improvement, he’s optimistic about the changes Florida has made and sees huge gains in incremental steps that continue.
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“We do have to make sure that we accept funding that is dedicated to this and our legislatures have to be willing to also point in the same direction,” he said.
But Florida drivers must also make choices that keep the roads safe.
“I would just encourage the folks throughout Central Florida to get involved and understand that we just want to make sure their families never have to suffer this type of loss,” Marquith said.
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