National
Motorists
Association

A Blueprint For Reasonable Drunk Driving Laws

As a followup to last week's post on the possibility of mandatory breathalyzers in every vehicle, we thought it would be worth going over the organization's stance on DUI/DWI laws: The NMA supports drinking and driving regulations based on reasonable standards ...

Mandatory In-Car Breathalyzers Coming?

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist If you're not a convicted drunk driver, should you still be required to have an in-car breathalyzer fitted (at your expense, 'natch) to your next new vehicle? Apparently, some automakers -- including GM and Toyota -- ...

Drinking Improves Highway Safety (Apparently)

By Jim Baxter, NMA President A new federal study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (part of the US Dept. of Health and Human services) just confirmed that states with the highest levels of self-reported drinking and ...

The Fourth Amendment Is Dead

By James Baxter, NMA President The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution has been strangled with convoluted legal rationalizations, riddled with bullets in the form of Supreme Court decisions and drawn and quartered by “creative” law enforcement interpretations. ...

Breath-Alcohol Analysis: How Reliable Is It?

By Gerald D. Simpson, Ph.D. In a 1983 law review article, Stephen G. Thompson observed the following: "Modern criminal justice is premised upon the requirement that a criminal defendant be proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt before punishment can be meted out. ...

5 Federal Court Cases That Weakened The 4th Amendment

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and ...

5 Things You Need To Know About Roadblocks

Q. Are roadblocks legal? A. The US Supreme Court has found roadblocks to be legal for a variety of purposes, the most prominent being so-called "sobriety check points." There is a longer history of roadblock approvals related to checking vehicles near ...

What Everyone Should Know About The Drunk Driving Problem

We frequently hear that drunk drivers "cause 50% of all highway fatalities." This falls into the category of "tell a big enough lie long enough and loud enough and people will believe it." The truth is closer ...

The 10 Biggest Injustices Against Motorists In October

It has been a rough month for drivers across the country. Abuses of power continue to run rampant while the public remains surprisingly apathetic. We've put together a list of the ten biggest injustices against motorists this month in ...

It’s Just A Decimal Point: The Dirty Secret Behind Breathalyzers

In 1990, the New Jersey courts declared that the science was settled, the debate was over: breath analysis is a reliable and accurate means by which to determine blood alcohol content (BAC). This proclamation is known as the “Downie ...