Birch also said a similar requirement in New Mexico, the only state that mandates interlocks for all drunken drivers, cut DUI-related fatalities by more than 11 percent.

Rep. David Schapira, D-Tempe, who crafted the interlock provision in Arizona, rejected the idea of drunken driving being an excusable mistake. "They're making a mistake that in many cases results in the death of someone."

Also in opposition is the Arizona Restaurant Association. Steve Chucri, the group's president, said the measure is just another move by the Legislature toward a new Prohibition.

He said the state has lowered the legal limit at which someone can be arrested. And lawmakers also have increased the penalties for violators.

"Alcohol in restaurants is a part of what we do and it's a legal part of what we do,'' Chucri said. "We want to make sure that we're still being able to provide a good experience for people without people being so fearful of having a glass of wine or two glasses of wine that they might be in jeopardy, that they're carrying around their own Breathalyzer with them.''

One point of contention is that the devices ensure more the legal sobriety: Schapira said the Motor Vehicle Division has these set so a car or truck will not start if the driver's BAC is 0.04 or higher, half the 0.08 legal limit.

Schapira said he doesn't see that as a problem. He said that it is not asking too much of someone who has been previously convicted of driving drunk, to have a BAC lower than the legal limit for a year after their conviction.

"I don't think it's asking too much to say that someone who has been driving drunk should not have a BAC of 0.03 for a year after their conviction,'' Schapira said.

He also pointed out that while state law presumes someone with a BAC of 0.08 is legally intoxicated, that doesn't mean someone who is less inebriated can drive: State law makes it illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs "if the person is impaired to the slightest degree.''

That law, however, also says someone with a BAC of less than 0.05 is presumed not to be under the influence of alcohol.

This information is courtesy of http://www.yumasun.com/