Know the facts: Roger Goodman, Protecting Our Roads

Re-elect State Representative Roger Goodman LD45.

To counter the false accusations in the recent robocalls attacking Roger Goodman, here are the facts.

Serving as Vice-Chair of the House Judiciary Committee and also as a senior member of the House Public Safety Committee, Roger has sought to make us safer on our roadways, in public places and in our homes. Roger has worked especially hard to reduce drunk driving and domestic violence, which are the biggest sources of harm in our society. He has passed a dozen pieces of major legislation to address these chronic problems and his work in this area has earned him numerous awards.

Roger is the first Washington state legislator to win the “Safety Champion Award” from the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration (NHTSA), and this year he received national recognition from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Just recently he also received the 2012 Norm Maleng Award from the King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence for his groundbreaking work in revising Washington’s domestic violence laws.

REDUCING DRUNK DRIVING
Even with tougher punishments and ad campaigns, drunk drivers continue to plague our roads. People need to know that when you drive drunk and put lives at risk, it will not be tolerated. Strong sentences aren’t the only answer; we need new solutions to make our roads safer and to save more lives.

For several years Roger Goodman has worked closely with the Washington State Patrol, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, judges and prosecutors to come up with innovative ways to hold drunk drivers accountable. He has passed nine bills in this area, and the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission has just reported that his legislation has resulted in a 36 percent decline in alcohol-related deaths and serious injuries on Washington’s roads in the last two years, making Washington the model for the nation. Roger’s legislation has aimed at known drunk drivers, installing breathalyzers, or what are called “ignition interlock devices” in DUI offenders’ cars. If the driver has been drinking, the car won’t start and can’t get on the road. The DUI offenders must pay for the device themselves, so there’s no taxpayer expense.

Eighty percent of drivers with a suspended license drive anyway. By installing the alcohol-detection devices, we allow them to get a special driver’s license, so they can continue to drive to work or school. These are known drunk drivers and we’ve been able to make sure they’re driving sober, saving hundreds of lives in the process.

Roger’s DUI bills enacted into law include:
HB 2130 (Chapter 474, Public Laws of 2007), strengthening the felony DUI law by properly accounting for prior DUI offenses.

HB 2443 (Chapter 183, Public Laws of 2012), another significant update to the ignition interlock program, including a major expansion of Washington State Patrol’s enforcement capability.

Let your neighbors know – the robocall accusations against Roger Goodman are FALSE.

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