Mayor Thomas M. Menino signed off on John’s Law, yesterday, qualifying Boston as the first city nationwide to require the impounding of vehicles of drunk drivers.
The ordinance, which was passed unanimously by the Boston City Council, requires police to impound the vehicles of drunk drivers for up to 12 hours after an arrest for driving under the influence. The law was named after Navy Ensign John Elliott, who was killed in 2000 by a drunk driver released on bail while still intoxicated, Menino said at a press conference.
‘It’s hard to believe, but around the nation, there are people who can be on the road after being arrested for drunk driving, and it’s a dangerous thing,’ Menino commented before officially signing the bill.
Menino said before this legislation was proposed, even he wasn’t aware that releasing a still-intoxicated driver was legal. He said he hopes the state of Massachusetts as well as the rest of the nation would ‘follow suit’ by adopting the law.
‘John’s Law is about saving lives,’ he said. ‘Let’s work to get ‘John’s Law’ on the book.’
City Councilor Rob Consalvo, who sponsored the legislation locally, said according to his research, the law will help decrease the number of drunk driving fatalities.
‘With ‘John’s Law,’ we are working together for the common goal of promoting public safety in the city,’ he said.
The family of John Elliott also attended the bill signing at City Hall. Bill Elliott, John’s father, shared his feelings about Boston’s adoption of the law at the conference.
‘Today is a bittersweet day,’ Elliott said. ‘Today we could not be prouder of our son and what he has done for the city of Boston.’
Since Elliott’s son, then 22 years old, was killed along with his girlfriend on their way to his mother’s birthday party, the Elliott family has campaigned hard for better legislation concerning drunk driving, Elliott said. He voiced his confidence in the future of the law.
‘There is no mistake that this will be a national law,’ he said.
Elliott went on to explain that the main intention of John’s Law is not to punish drunk drivers by impounding their cars, but rather to improve public safety by keeping intoxicated drivers off the roads.
The family called Menino an ‘honorary Human Education Resource Officer (HERO)’ for enacting John’s Law. The family started the campaign in honor of John, who was distinguished as a HERO at the Naval Academy, and uses it to promote the use of designated drivers.
‘[The campaign] asks everyone to be a hero by being a designated driver,’ Bill Elliott explained.
The HERO campaign, which began at Cheers last November, involves hundreds of East Coast bars and taverns serving free soft drinks, according to a press release.
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