Mothers Against Drunk Driving hopes to bring public awareness to a technological device now offered in Alabama in hopes of preventing the age-old problem of drunk driving.

A meeting with state and local officials, law enforcement and families affected by drunk driving, was held Monday at 2 p.m. at the Chilton County Courthouse to discuss an ignition interlock device, which prevents individuals who are under the influence of alcohol from being able to start their vehicles if they have a blood-alcohol content of 0.02 or more.

In 2014, Alabama passed legislation expanding the use of ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers to include first-time convicted drunk drivers with an illegal BAC of 0.08 or greater.

Alabama was the 21st state to pass an all-offender interlock law, according to information provided by MADD.

In some cases, the interlock devices are mandatory, but in other cases drivers can request devices in exchange for reduced terms of driver’s license suspensions.

Beth Chancellor served as the emcee of the event and told those in attendance that Feb. 2 marked three years since a drunk driver struck her family’s vehicle.

Chancellor’s husband, Mike, was killed instantly, and Beth, along with the couple’s oldest son Peyton, were left with injuries.

Their youngest child, 14-month-old Lawson, suffered bruising from his car seat but was uninjured in the incident.

Sgt. Steve Jarrett with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said troopers make it a priority to seek out drunk drivers.

“Unless you are a trooper, or a victim, you don’t see it firsthand,” Jarrett said. “The ignition interlock is very important. Most of the individuals with DUIs are not driving under the influence for the first time. This is a good effort toward keeping drunk drivers off the road.”

District Attorney Randall Houston with 19th Judicial Circuit said 25 years ago his sister-in-law was killed by a drunk driver.

“It was devastating,” Houston said. “Drunk driving is an avoidable crime. Anything that will help prevent a preventable crime is a good thing. When you have over 3,000 occurrences of drunk driving and over 700 individuals have the ignition interlock installed, it tells you it works.”

Donna Tate, a spokeswoman for Smart Start of Alabama—one of the approved vendors in the state—explained background for how the device works.

Tate held up an ignition interlock, which is about the size of a cell phone, and the driver must blow into a tube. If the device measures alcohol, the car will not start for 15 minutes.

Tate said the device periodically requires people to pull over and blow again after the car has started to prevent individuals from driving right after drinking, before the alcohol has reached the blood stream.

For Smart Start customers, the ignition interlock costs $2.50 a day or $75 a month, and a one- time installation fee of $95.

Other speakers at the event included Tisha Pate, who lost her daughter in 2012 to a drunk driver.

“I didn’t get a call that my daughter had been killed; I watched it happen because I was in the car with her,” Pate said. “I would give anything to have her back. The man who hit her was a repeat offender and was driving under a suspended license. The ignition interlock system is something we really need.”

State Sen. Cam Ward attended the event and spoke publicly about his experience getting a DUI in July 2015.

“It has haunted me a long time,” Ward said. “Through treatment, I learned that we should talk about it more. I used an interlock for several months. They work, and we should have them for everyone. People do stupid things. I will live with it the rest of my life. It is important we talk about these things because if we aren’t public about it, it will continue through a cycle.”

Carolyn “Ci Ci” Tyus also spoke about her 21-year-old son who was killed by a drunk driver.

“My child never knew what happened to him because he was killed on impact,” Tyus said.

Tanya Burks, lost her daughter on March 31, 2012, after a drunk driver struck the 8-year-old near Kentuck Park in Northport as she walked with her mother and sister to their vehicle following the Tuscaloosa Regional Air Show.

“The following days after the incident were filled with making funeral arrangements,” Burks said.

Other individuals including Chilton County Sheriff John Shearon, Rep. Jimmy Martin, Chris Speaks, Angie Mayfield and Ali Garrett also spoke during the event.

Chancellor thanked everyone for coming, and refreshments were served after the event concluded.