Erie County Legislator Michael H. Ranzenhofer (R-Clarence) announced today that the Erie County Legislature has passed legislation mandating a 12-hour impoundment of vehicles taken from persons arrested for Driving While Intoxicated or Driving While Ability Impaired.

"Every life lost as a victim of a drunk driving accident is one too many," said Ranzenhofer. "Today, we are announcing this long-overdue legislation, which will ensure that once a drunk driver is arrested, it will be much tougher for them to get their vehicle back."

Legislator Ranzenhofer pointed out that various municipalities in Erie County already support vehicle impoundment in DWI/DWAI cases. The legislation, known as the "Erie County DWI/DWAI Vehicle Impoundment Law," ensures that a mandatory impoundment practice is in place across-the-board in Erie County.

"Erie County motorists and pedestrians will benefit from this legislation," added Ranzenhofer. "Perhaps the best deterrent for someone arrested for drunk driving is taking their car away from them before they have the chance to hurt someone."

Ranzenhofer cited statistics depicting the success of impoundment laws in other municipalities, including the fact that drivers whose vehicles were impounded had at least 35 percent fewer repeat DWIs when compared to those who had not.

"As an elected official, I am committed to consistently finding ways to improve our quality-of-life, which includes our families' safety while traveling on Erie County's roads," Ranzenhofer concluded. "Keeping drunk drivers off of our roads by impounding their vehicles is a safety measure that we can control, with the hopes of avoiding recidivism among DWI offenders."

The Erie County DWI/DWAI Vehicle Impoundment Law was passed unanimously by the Erie County Legislature in its session on Thursday, April 1.