24/7 Sobriety Program soon goes into effect here

Since launching the 24/7 Sobriety Program as a pilot in Lewis and Clark County in May 2010, we've experienced exactly what we hoped for to curb repeat DUI offenses - resounding success.

In the 16 months that the pilot project has been active, nearly 20,000 breath tests were administered to almost 100 repeat DUI offenders with a pass rate of 98.9 percent. That means 98.9 percent of the time, those repeat DUI offenders showed up on time and passed the breath test. That's huge.

We've all heard about the tragedies involving alcohol that are repeated time and again in communities across this great state - a state that, unfortunately, has one of the highest per capita drunken-driving death rates in the nation. Nearly 40 percent of all traffic fatalities in Montana are related to alcohol.

That's why it was so important we take action. Thanks to wide, bipartisan support in the 2011 Legislature, this simple, effective and low-cost program will soon be implemented across Montana. The 24/7 Sobriety Program Act goes into effect Oct. 1. It can't come soon enough.

The program is easy. Here's how it works: As a condition of their bond, repeat drunken-driving suspects can be ordered to take a breath test each morning and night. The offenders - not you - pay $2 for each test, or $4 per day. Those who live too far away to reasonably commute for two breath tests per day can wear an ankle bracelet that measures the alcohol content in their sweat. If an offender fails a breath test or does not show up for a test, the offender's bond is immediately revoked, and he or she is taken directly to jail.

While judges have always been able to sentence a drunken driver to alcohol education classes or to refrain from drinking altogether, there was no way to hold them accountable. Now there is, and it has a proven impact. Not only does the 24/7 Sobriety Project provide law enforcement a mechanism to keep drunk drivers off the road, it gives those offenders a sobering opportunity to evaluate how continuing alcohol abuse affects their lives and those around them. Many participants have said entering the program has changed their behavior and they're thankful for it. The program hits at the cultural foundation of drinking in Montana.

Based on the successful program that began in South Dakota and with our own pilot results, we know the 24/7 Sobriety Program works. Over a five-year span in South Dakota, 3.63 million breath tests were administered to 17,187 participants with a pass rate of 99.3 percent. Over a three-year period, a study found that repeat DUI offenders who participated in the program for at least 30 days had a 74 percent reduction in recidivism. Of the DUI offenders who were not in the program, 13.7 percent were arrested for a third DUI, while only 3.7 percent who participated in the program re-offended.

Moreover, in 2005, when South Dakota began its statewide program, it, too, had one of the highest DUI rates, and nearly three-fourths of those involved in a fatal accident had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 percent or higher. From 2006 to 2007, however, alcohol-related fatalities in South Dakota declined by 33 percent, the highest decline in the nation. During the same period, the nation experienced about a 4 percent decline, while Montana's alcohol-related fatalities increased by 2 percent.

The 24/7 Sobriety Program has shown amazing promise in Lewis and Clark County, too, and we're excited to roll it out across Montana. We'll start with eight counties, including Flathead County, representing more than half of Montana's population, on Oct. 1. We aren't the only ones anticipating the launch.

"As the Sheriff of Flathead County, I feel strongly in our participation in the 24/7 program," said Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry. "Keeping impaired drivers off our roadways is and has to be one of our priorities. This program not only facilitates that goal but has the added advantage of reducing our ever increasing jail populations."

Action. Impact. Results. It's what you demanded of your government to help save lives, save taxpayer costs and make our highways and communities safer, and it's what we're delivering.

Attorney General Steve Bullock spearheaded the legislation to bring the 24/7 Sobriety Project Act to Montana.