Park Tavern crash raises questions about technological, legal tools to prevent impaired driving
The wreckage of a car at the scene where a car drove into the patio seating area of the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park on Sunday.
Jeff Wheeler | Star Tribune via AP
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A man facing charges in Sunday’s drunk driving crash that killed two people and injured nine others at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon.
There are questions surrounding his DWI record. During yesterday’s news conference outlining the charges, Hennepin County Attorney Moriarty said it was “hugely problematic” that Steven Bailey still had a driver’s license. Bailey had an ignition interlock installed in his car for several years after convictions for drunk driving.
The Minnesota Department of Health estimates one in seven Minnesotans has at least one DWI. The national group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) argues ignition locks and other technology preventing an intoxicated driver from operating their car could help reduce drunken driving deaths.
For more on these steps, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Lauren Johnson, marketing and community engagement manager for MADD’s Upper Midwest Region.
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Audio transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING] CATHY WURZER: Our top story at noon, a popular restaurant in St. Louis Park, which was the scene of a tragic event over the Labor Day holiday weekend, reopened just a few minutes ago. Sunday, a drunk driver plowed into the Park Tavern's outdoor patio, killing two people and injuring nine others. Well, there are many questions surrounding the DUI record of the suspect in this case. During yesterday's news conference outlining the charges, Hennepin County Attorney Moriarty said it was, quote, hugely problematic that Steven Bailey still had a driver's license.
As you heard in that prior report, Bailey had an ignition interlock installed in his car for several years after convictions for drunk driving. The national group Mothers Against Drunk Driving argues that ignition locks and other technology preventing an intoxicated driver from operating their car could help reduce drunken driving deaths. Lauren Johnson is the Marketing and Community Engagement Manager for the group's Upper Midwest region, and she's with us right now. I appreciate your time, Lauren.
LAUREN JOHNSON: Hi, Cathy. Thank you for having me.
CATHY WURZER: Before we talk about technology, it seems as though there are more stories about drunk driving crashes in Minnesota and elsewhere. Are the numbers going up?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yes. So we have actually seen the numbers increase with injuries and deaths since 2020, since around that COVID pandemic time.
CATHY WURZER: What do we think is going on?
LAUREN JOHNSON: So we think what is going on is there's kind of a decreased awareness, but then also the increase with people who are impaired with other drugs and substances other than alcohol.
CATHY WURZER: So are you saying that because in many places recreational cannabis has been legalized, is that what's going on perhaps or part of the equation?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yes. We are thinking that is part of the equation.
CATHY WURZER: You know, there was a statistic that I saw that 25 to 35% of people convicted of DUI will reoffend within five years. Is that an accurate figure? And if so, what does it say about the changes needed in our system?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yeah so actually, I have some statistics from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. And so actually, 1 in 7 Minnesota drivers have a DWI on their record. And over 40% of those offenders will reoffend. And so it just shows how much work we have to do to save people on our roads.
CATHY WURZER: I was kind of surprised to hear you say 40%. I'm wondering then, what does your group think could be a workable solution here? Is it stiffer penalties? You're advocating for technology such as ignition locks. What do you think the solution is?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yeah. So actually, MADD as a whole, we are actually really looking at The Halt Act. And so that was actually passed. It was a bipartisan bill that was passed in 2021. And it's actually in honor of a family of five who was killed in a drunk driving crash.
And so what The Halt Act is is it's having car manufacturers put technology into new vehicles that are censoring for impaired driving. And so it has no relation to breathalyzers or ignition interlocks. And so it's passive technology that's actually censoring.
And the technology isn't here quite yet. And we don't know what that will look like for a few more years. But it would be things like eye movement, maybe sensors within the vehicle detecting alcohol or other substances within the vehicle itself.
So we are really looking at this Halt Act to decrease the number of deaths and injuries by drunk driving drastically. And really, it should save, we're thinking, 10,000 lives a year.
CATHY WURZER: It's quite futuristic. As you say, it's not ready yet. So I'm wondering what to do in the meantime.
As you heard, the suspect in this case had an ignition lock, had it for as long as was legally possible, and then didn't have it anymore. I'm wondering, what do you think of ignition locks at this point, the current technology versus, say, taking someone's driver's license away?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yeah so taking someone's driver's license away, and that is up to the Department of Public Safety and who makes those laws. But really, it's somebody's choice that they got in the vehicle impaired. And what MADD is really looking to do is we want to make sure that people are safe. And with this Halt Act, he had that ignition interlock for as long as he possibly could. But with this new technology, lives could have been saved even in this tragedy had there been sensors in the cars.
And this technology is actually here. It's not futuristic. These things just need to be turned on within the vehicle. It's like a backup camera.
CATHY WURZER: OK.
LAUREN JOHNSON: And so it is there. It just needs to be turned on.
CATHY WURZER: OK. But who turns that on? And so it's actually in the rulemaking process right now within the legislature.
So they have to collect information from community members, from people, from the car manufacturers, and then they will decide what the rules are with the technology that needs to be placed within new vehicles. And so we're hoping to see this within the next two years. So really, we're hoping to see it in 2026.
CATHY WURZER: I see. Thank you for correcting me. I'm wondering, you're going to hear from people who think that this technology would is another form of surveillance, right, maybe a bridge too far for some people. What do you say to that?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Absolutely. We really want the technology to protect the driver's privacy. And we understand that people could feel like this is an invasion of privacy, but MADD with this Halt Act, we are not condoning the collection or storage of data for commercial or malicious purposes at all. And so this is really just specifically focused on how we can save lives and how we can protect people within our communities and how tragedies like this at Park Tavern could have been prevented by this technology. Just like backup cameras have saved lives, these sensors and this technology can save lives as well.
CATHY WURZER: Say, your organization also advocates for victims. And I'm wondering, gosh, the people who were on that patio that night, not only the loved ones of the two victims who passed, but also those who were injured, and just anyone who was on that patio that night, what kinds of support might be available for survivors of that tragedy?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yeah. So right now, actually, our victim services team is reaching out and actively searching for those victims and survivors of the Park Tavern crash. We can be contacted. And we do victim services. So we help people through kind of the emotional crisis of a crash, that emotional support, but we also help guide them through the legal system, and we support them from Day 1 all the way through with resources and help to make sure that they can take this pain and, you know, at some point that they can turn this into purpose.
CATHY WURZER: Final question here for you, Lauren. Of course, the legislative session, the new one, the 2025 session, is this coming January. What might MADD lobby for, do you know, when it comes to stricter penalties, perhaps, or some of this new technology that you might bring to the state level?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yeah. So I know right now, just on that national level that we are working with this Halt Act, and we're just pushing it. And we just want it to keep progressing and to get that support, to keep this Halt Act progressing through the process that it has to go through. And so our focus is really on that right now. And Minnesota specifically, I don't have an update for you.
CATHY WURZER: All right. Lauren Johnson, I appreciate your time. Thank you.
LAUREN JOHNSON: Thanks, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: Lauren Johnson is the Marketing and Community Engagement Manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving's Upper Midwest region.
As you heard in that prior report, Bailey had an ignition interlock installed in his car for several years after convictions for drunk driving. The national group Mothers Against Drunk Driving argues that ignition locks and other technology preventing an intoxicated driver from operating their car could help reduce drunken driving deaths. Lauren Johnson is the Marketing and Community Engagement Manager for the group's Upper Midwest region, and she's with us right now. I appreciate your time, Lauren.
LAUREN JOHNSON: Hi, Cathy. Thank you for having me.
CATHY WURZER: Before we talk about technology, it seems as though there are more stories about drunk driving crashes in Minnesota and elsewhere. Are the numbers going up?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yes. So we have actually seen the numbers increase with injuries and deaths since 2020, since around that COVID pandemic time.
CATHY WURZER: What do we think is going on?
LAUREN JOHNSON: So we think what is going on is there's kind of a decreased awareness, but then also the increase with people who are impaired with other drugs and substances other than alcohol.
CATHY WURZER: So are you saying that because in many places recreational cannabis has been legalized, is that what's going on perhaps or part of the equation?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yes. We are thinking that is part of the equation.
CATHY WURZER: You know, there was a statistic that I saw that 25 to 35% of people convicted of DUI will reoffend within five years. Is that an accurate figure? And if so, what does it say about the changes needed in our system?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yeah so actually, I have some statistics from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. And so actually, 1 in 7 Minnesota drivers have a DWI on their record. And over 40% of those offenders will reoffend. And so it just shows how much work we have to do to save people on our roads.
CATHY WURZER: I was kind of surprised to hear you say 40%. I'm wondering then, what does your group think could be a workable solution here? Is it stiffer penalties? You're advocating for technology such as ignition locks. What do you think the solution is?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yeah. So actually, MADD as a whole, we are actually really looking at The Halt Act. And so that was actually passed. It was a bipartisan bill that was passed in 2021. And it's actually in honor of a family of five who was killed in a drunk driving crash.
And so what The Halt Act is is it's having car manufacturers put technology into new vehicles that are censoring for impaired driving. And so it has no relation to breathalyzers or ignition interlocks. And so it's passive technology that's actually censoring.
And the technology isn't here quite yet. And we don't know what that will look like for a few more years. But it would be things like eye movement, maybe sensors within the vehicle detecting alcohol or other substances within the vehicle itself.
So we are really looking at this Halt Act to decrease the number of deaths and injuries by drunk driving drastically. And really, it should save, we're thinking, 10,000 lives a year.
CATHY WURZER: It's quite futuristic. As you say, it's not ready yet. So I'm wondering what to do in the meantime.
As you heard, the suspect in this case had an ignition lock, had it for as long as was legally possible, and then didn't have it anymore. I'm wondering, what do you think of ignition locks at this point, the current technology versus, say, taking someone's driver's license away?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yeah so taking someone's driver's license away, and that is up to the Department of Public Safety and who makes those laws. But really, it's somebody's choice that they got in the vehicle impaired. And what MADD is really looking to do is we want to make sure that people are safe. And with this Halt Act, he had that ignition interlock for as long as he possibly could. But with this new technology, lives could have been saved even in this tragedy had there been sensors in the cars.
And this technology is actually here. It's not futuristic. These things just need to be turned on within the vehicle. It's like a backup camera.
CATHY WURZER: OK.
LAUREN JOHNSON: And so it is there. It just needs to be turned on.
CATHY WURZER: OK. But who turns that on? And so it's actually in the rulemaking process right now within the legislature.
So they have to collect information from community members, from people, from the car manufacturers, and then they will decide what the rules are with the technology that needs to be placed within new vehicles. And so we're hoping to see this within the next two years. So really, we're hoping to see it in 2026.
CATHY WURZER: I see. Thank you for correcting me. I'm wondering, you're going to hear from people who think that this technology would is another form of surveillance, right, maybe a bridge too far for some people. What do you say to that?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Absolutely. We really want the technology to protect the driver's privacy. And we understand that people could feel like this is an invasion of privacy, but MADD with this Halt Act, we are not condoning the collection or storage of data for commercial or malicious purposes at all. And so this is really just specifically focused on how we can save lives and how we can protect people within our communities and how tragedies like this at Park Tavern could have been prevented by this technology. Just like backup cameras have saved lives, these sensors and this technology can save lives as well.
CATHY WURZER: Say, your organization also advocates for victims. And I'm wondering, gosh, the people who were on that patio that night, not only the loved ones of the two victims who passed, but also those who were injured, and just anyone who was on that patio that night, what kinds of support might be available for survivors of that tragedy?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yeah. So right now, actually, our victim services team is reaching out and actively searching for those victims and survivors of the Park Tavern crash. We can be contacted. And we do victim services. So we help people through kind of the emotional crisis of a crash, that emotional support, but we also help guide them through the legal system, and we support them from Day 1 all the way through with resources and help to make sure that they can take this pain and, you know, at some point that they can turn this into purpose.
CATHY WURZER: Final question here for you, Lauren. Of course, the legislative session, the new one, the 2025 session, is this coming January. What might MADD lobby for, do you know, when it comes to stricter penalties, perhaps, or some of this new technology that you might bring to the state level?
LAUREN JOHNSON: Yeah. So I know right now, just on that national level that we are working with this Halt Act, and we're just pushing it. And we just want it to keep progressing and to get that support, to keep this Halt Act progressing through the process that it has to go through. And so our focus is really on that right now. And Minnesota specifically, I don't have an update for you.
CATHY WURZER: All right. Lauren Johnson, I appreciate your time. Thank you.
LAUREN JOHNSON: Thanks, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: Lauren Johnson is the Marketing and Community Engagement Manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving's Upper Midwest region.
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