[News Terms] Public Demand for 'Ignition Interlock Device' Following Consecutive Drunk Driving Deaths

The "Ignition Interlock Device (IID)" is a device that prevents a vehicle from starting if the driver has consumed alcohol. To start a vehicle equipped with an IID, a breath alcohol test must be conducted first. When the start button is pressed, a message prompts the driver to take the breath test by blowing into the installed nozzle to measure the blood alcohol concentration (BAC). If the BAC exceeds the set limit, the vehicle will not start. Installation costs about 2.5 million KRW per unit.

Recently, as fatal drunk driving accidents have occurred consecutively, calls to expedite the introduction of IIDs are growing louder. On the 9th, a man in his 40s delivering food by motorcycle in Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do, was hit and killed by a drunk driver who crossed the center line. This happened just one day after a drunk driving vehicle crashed onto the sidewalk in front of an elementary school in Daejeon, killing a 10-year-old child passing by.

A police officer is conducting a drunk driving checkpoint on a road in Seoul.
Photo by Yonhap News

Following the death of Yoon Chang-ho, who fell into a brain-dead state and eventually passed away after being hit by a vehicle driven by a drunk driver in Haeundae-gu, Busan, in September 2018, the "Yoon Chang-ho Act" was enacted, strengthening penalties and BAC measurement standards. However, tragedies caused by drunk driving persist. While the number of deaths due to drunk driving has been decreasing, the recidivism rate increased from 43.8% in 2019 to 44.8% in 2021.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced a survey result in 2021 showing that 95% of drivers convicted of drunk driving supported the installation of IIDs in their vehicles. Based on this, the commission recommended the introduction of IIDs to the National Police Agency, but progress has stalled due to insufficient related laws. In the National Assembly, a Road Traffic Act amendment bill requesting the introduction of IIDs was first proposed in 2009. Since then, several bills including related provisions have been submitted, but none have been processed. In the current 21st National Assembly, five bills related to mandatory IID installation are pending, but there has been no news of their review starting.

In the United States, since 1986, 36 states have installed IIDs, reducing drunk driving fatalities by 19%. The European Union (EU) requires those convicted of drunk driving to choose between license revocation and installing an ignition interlock device.