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WASHINGTON, DC- When it comes to stopping drunk driving, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) said Wednesday that the country is doing better to prevent it, but maintains that it is still a serious problem.

That word from MADD National President Jan Withers who released their rating of how individual states and the nation as a whole rank in efforts to prevent drunk driving. The five star rating measures the use of technology and legal tools to keep drunk drivers off the road including the use of ignition interlocks for convicted drunk drivers requiring them to blow into a breathalyzer device before their vehicle will start.

The rating also looks at the use of sobriety checkpoints; using enhanced penalties for those who drink drunk with children in the car; refusing activities for those suspected of drunk driving; and the use of administrative laws to revoke licenses for repeat offenders. Overall Withers said the nation's average is three stars.

"We are announcing today that the country has earned three stars in its fight to eliminate drunk driving. This is the average of all the state ratings."

Good she said, but more needs to be done. Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and Utah got the highest ratings for their campaigns against drunk driving earning five stars.

Meanwhile Montana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Dakota earned the lowest with just one star.

"The states earning 5 stars include: Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and Utah. While Montana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Dakota each earned one star. These ratings are indications of states passing effective laws and employing effective drunk driving countermeasures and are independent from the state's fatalities numbers."

Withers said even with increased focus on preventing drunk driving, on any given day families share the roads with more than two million drunk drivers. Something Withers said could be further prevented with the use of ignition interlock devices.

"On any given day families share the roads with more than two million drunk drivers who have three or more prior convictions. And three out of four of those drunk drivers with a suspended license still drive threatening the safety of all Americans. Let is why MADD now supports the use of ignition
interlock devices that require all convicted drunk drivers to prove they are sober before their car will start."

Ted Miller, a researcher with Pacific Institute of Research and Evaluation, said drunk driving accidents cost the nation more than $132 billion each year - between medical costs, property damage, litigation and loss of work. While some might argue that techniques like the ignition interlock devices cost too much money, he said it pales in comparison to the costs associated with an accident caused by a drunk driver.

"The annual drunk driving bill is more than $600 per U.S. driver. That's lower than it once was. But its far too large a burden. We need to do more. Ignition interlock is a proven way to save some of that money. They save a lot more money than they cost."

Withers' daughter Alisa Joy was killed in 1992 after the underage driver of the car she was in crashed after consuming numerous alcoholic drinks.