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Top Legislative Priorities
- Open Container HB 387/SB
291
Open container laws prohibit the possession of any
open alcoholic beverage container and the consumption of any
alcoholic beverage in the passenger area of a motor vehicle.
Since every state has laws to prevent and punish impaired driving,
open container laws can serve as an important tool in the fight
against impaired driving. Tennessee's open container law contains
a "pass the bottle" loophole. The driver can merely
pass the alcohol to a passenger or toss it into the backseat
to avoid violation. Open Container laws reduce the number of
alcohol-related traffic fatalities by 5.1%. Opponents often
cite the fact that football fans like to drink on the way to
games. Opponent lobbyists have spread the misinformation that
open container applies to taxis, limos, and party buses. The
bill specifically contains language that exempts these types
of vehicles. Tennessee is one of only eleven (11) states without
open container, and we have forfeited millions of dollars in
federal funding as a result.
- Mandatory Ignition Interlocks
MADD is dedicated to supporting state legislation
that expands the use of
current alcohol ignition interlock technology so that interlocks
are mandatory for all convicted drunk drivers in all 50 states.
MADD works closely with state lawmakers to encourage passage
of this lifesaving legislation. The main reason people drive
drunk today is because they can. Technology currently exists
that has the potential to eliminate repeat drunk driving offenses
- the alcohol ignition interlock. To realize a nation without
drunk driving, we must substantially increase the use of ignition
interlocks to include all convicted drunk driving offenders.
- Administrative License
Revocation (ALR)
Used generically to indicate either Administrative
License Revocation or Administrative License Suspension. This
law provides for prompt administrative license suspension of
offenders who fail a BAC test by registering above the illegal
limit or refuse to submit to a test. Opponents often object
that the law is unconstitutional. However, several courts have
upheld the constitutionality of the law. ALR was mentioned in
Tennessee's grade in Rating the States as a priority law desperately
needed. Tennessee is one of only nine (9) states without ALR,
and Kentucky is our only neighbor without it.
Due to state budget limitations an ALR bill was not introduced
this session.
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