MADD wants breath-test vehicle locks for all offenders - All new cars are next (see Volvo)

The rest of the country would emulate New Mexico's ignition interlock law if Mothers Against Drunk Driving has its way.

The national organization, along with the U.S. Department of Transportation, on Monday launched an anti-DWI campaign that includes efforts to get states to require breath-test interlock devices in vehicles for everyone convicted of drunken driving -- even after the first offense. Only New Mexico has such a law for first offenders ,while 45 states and the District of Columbia allow the device for some offenders.

The campaign also includes tougher DWI enforcement measures around the country.

"If we can't stop drunks from driving, we'll stop vehicles from driving drunks," said MADD president Glynn Birch at a news conference. Birch said technology, along with tougher laws and enforcement, has put eliminating drunken driving "at our fingertips."

Dick Roth, executive director of Impact DWI and a leading supporter of ignition interlock legislation in New Mexico, said Charles Hurley, MADD's chief executive officer, asked him about New Mexico's law at a DWI technology conference in Albuquerque in June. "We're leading, for a change, in the right direction," Roth said.

Interlock devices require drivers to blow into an instrument that measures alcohol in the breath.

The vehicle won't start unless the driver's blood-alcohol concentration is below a preset level. Other interlocks might require drivers to breathe into the devices periodically.