The push comes as impaired driving deaths continue to climb statewide. According to state data shared by MADD, 449 people were killed in drunk driving crashes in 2024, a 16% increase since 2019. Nearly 30% of all traffic deaths in North Carolina now involve an impaired driver.
Among those urging lawmakers to act was Stephanie Ronan, a Rocky Mount mother of two who survived a catastrophic headon crash in Wilson County in 2018. She told attendees that a drunk driver traveling 55 mph crossed into her lane, leaving her trapped in the wreckage.
"September 29, 2018, changed my life forever," Ronan said. "I had to be cut out of my vehicle by two different fire departments."
Ronan suffered permanent injuries and can no longer work. She now volunteers with MADD to prevent similar tragedies.
"Sharing my story gives purpose to the pain I'm dealing with," she said. "After hearing the stories and looking at the numbers, it's a nobrainer. We need to save lives and prevent injuries."
Families of Victims Call for Action
Jeanette Best, a Wake County mother of two law enforcement officers, also spoke at the event. Her son was close friends with Master Trooper Steven Perry, who was killed March 1 by a wrongway driver with multiple prior DWI convictions.
"As a mother, it instantly scared me because it could have been my son," Best said. "It's something that could've been preventable."
House Bill 1199, sponsored by Rep. Mike Schietzelt (Wake County) and Rep. Tim Reeder (Pitt County), aims to close what advocates call dangerous gaps in the state's DWI laws. The bill would:
- Require ignition interlock devices for all DWI offenders with a BAC of 0.08 or higher
- Require interlocks for drivers who refuse chemical testing
- Require interlocks on every vehicle an offender operates
- Limit driving privileges after revocation to interlockequipped vehicles only
Ignition interlocks prevent a vehicle from starting if alcohol is detected on the driver's breath.
The estimated cost is about $3 per day for one year.
Advocates say the technology is proven to reduce repeat offenses by about 70% while installed. Manufacturer data collected by MADD shows ignition interlocks have stopped nearly 41,000 attempted drunkdriving starts in North Carolina over the past 18 years, including more than 3,300 in 2024.
Ronan believes the device could have prevented her crash, noting that the driver who hit her was already driving on a suspended license.
Following the news conference, lawmakers and safety experts held a roadsidestyle demonstration outside the Legislative Office Building to show how ignition interlocks work and how they stop impaired drivers before they can start a vehicle.
The call for legislative action comes as impaired driving continues to make headlines. Just this week, a 19yearold was charged with DWI in Raleigh after a crash that killed two people.
MADD and its partners including AAA, the National Safety Council, the North Carolina Alliance for Safe Transportation and others say the state cannot afford to wait.