[John Kilduff]

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Should the government reduce all speed limits to 10MPH? If not why not?


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WTF kind of question is that? When someone drives on the road, they are aware that the speed limit is higher than 10mph, and they consent to other people driving higher than 10mph. Nobody consents to being on the road with other drunk drivers. This issue is as close to a consensus as you can get in america. Hell, drunk drivers are even afraid of eachother.

Having an ignition interlock device doesn't reduce your freedom in general. It just reduces your freedom to drive drunk. This makes it much different than other restrictions on freedom that are vulnerable to the slippery slope criticism.

If everyone had one, less people would drive drunk, and everyone would be safer. Insurance premiums would be lower. Would you really feel less free? They'd be developed for a mass market, and come standard in all cars, and therefore would be much less expensive than what they currently cost.

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Having an ignition interlock device reduces your freedom by requiring you to submit to a Breathalyzer test every time you start the car. I don't suppose I'm much opposed to that for individuals who have demonstrated that they are apt to drive drunk (those with DUI convictions), but I am opposed to forcing all Americans who have never demonstrated any proclivity to drive drunk to submit to a Breathalyzer test every time they get in their vehicles.

If there were no logistical drawbacks involved (hypothetical scenario of course), would you be opposed to Drunk Driving Checkpoints on every major intersection? To me it's a similar idea to forcing everyone to submit to Breathalyzer tests every time they get in their own car. How about weapons patdowns for everyone every time you go out on the street? It would arguably make us safer.

I don't think the answer is to pre-emptively make sure law-abdiding citizens can't do anything wrong. In my view, restricting of freedoms should be limited to those individuals who have demonstrated that they can't responsibly handle freedoms along with demonstrating a proclivity to harm or endanger others.

So ignition interlock devices for DUI'ers = quite possibly OK and very possibly a good thing, but ignition interlock devices for everyone = no way, no thank you Police State.