Officials called on state lawmakers to swiftly vote to in favor of an amendment to prevent convicted drunk drivers from avoiding the mandatory ignition interlock requirement under the statewide anti-drunk driving measure.

WCBS 880′s Monica Miller reports

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“Leandra’s Law is a good and important piece of legislation but now that we are about a year and a half into the passage of that law, we see and we know that there are loopholes that need to be fixed,” Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice told reporters including WCBS 880′s Monica Miller. ”Up to 70 percent of those required to install ignition interlock devices in their cars don’t do it.”

The six-month ignition interlock requires convicted drunk drivers to blow into a device that measures the driver’s blood alcohol level before the car can be started.

“They lie to the court about owning a vehicle, they change vehicle registrations to family members or to friends,” Rice said.

Leandra’s Law was named for 11-year-old Leandra Rosado who was killed in a 2009 DWI crash. The measure, signed on Nov. 18, 2009, makes it a felony to drive drunk with a child in the car.

Leandra was in a car with her friend’s mother when the car flipped.

Carmen Huertas’ vehicle after crashing on the Henry Hudson Parkway – New York, NY – Oct 11, 2009 (credit: CBS 2)

Leandra’s father Lenny joined lawmakers at the news conference.

Ahead of one of the biggest drinking nights of the year, advocates again urged those who will be out celebrating to select a designated driver or use cabs or mass transit to get around.

“I guarantee you as sure as we are standing here today, people are going to die at the hands of drunk drivers in 2013. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years and there isn’t one year that Long Island families, New York families haven’t been devastated by drunk drivers. It’s time it stops,” said Marge Lee, president of the group Dedicatedd.

Lee’s family was in an accident caused by a drunk driver. Her son was killed and she now walks with a cane.

“Annoy your assemblyman, annoy your senator. Tell them it’s a no-brainer,”

State Sen. Charles Fuschillo and Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg were also at the news conference calling for a stronger Leandra’s Law.

“You’re not going to get around not having an ignition interlock system or some sort of alcohol monitoring device,” Fuschillo said.

Leandra was killed in October 2009 on the Henry Hudson Parkway, in a car driven by Carmen Huertas, the mother of her best friend. Huertas flipped the car carrying herself and six children, and was convicted under Leandra’s Law for driving while intoxicated. She’s now serving 12 years in prison.

Please share your comments below…

Lenny Rosado

My name is Lenny Rosado. I am the father of 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, who was killed because of a drunken driver on Oct 11, 2009. I took my loss and fought for tougher laws against drunken driving with children in a vehicle. A bill was passed under my daughter’s name. I have a message for Jason Kidd:

Dear Jason,

I always enjoyed watching you play when you were with the New Jersey Nets and Dallas, and was excited about you signing with the Knicks.

But that excitement turned into a huge disappointment after seeing your recklessness when you got drunk and got into a vehicle and crashed.

You are a very lucky man to be alive. Others are lucky that you were not anywhere near them. You could have hurt or killed someone’s child, brother, sister, mother, father or grandparent.

As a so-called role model to many young kids and young adults who enjoy watching you play, this has really put a dark cloud on my perception of you.

Jason, I was a great role model to my only child. My daughter Leandra’s short life came to an end because another irresponsible, reckless parent drove drunk and crashed a car filled with seven young girls.

My daughter was thrown out of the car and died.

I think it would be in your best interest to apologize to those of us who have had loved ones die because of individuals like you who drove drunk.

Jason Kidd’s mug shot

Look within your heart and soul, and don’t deny your actions on the night, but man up and be honest that what you did that night was wrong.

I hope by reading this I was able to make you think of how very lucky you were to be able to walk away from that accident, because my daughter was not that lucky, Jason.

I even hope I can get your support sometime in November, when I plan to go to Albany to lobby for a second part to Leandra’s Law that would help close a loophole and save lives from being lost to repeat offenders.

Those of us who have lost family members due to drunken driving would love to have someone like you as an ambassador.

My best wishes to you and good luck in your future with the New York Knicks.

Thank you,

Lenny Rosado

via Lenny Rosado, whose daughter was killed by a drunken driver, writes an open letter to New York Knicks guard Jason Kidd about dangers of driving while intoxicated – NY Daily News.

The bill, signed into law on Nov. 18, 2009, was named for a child killed while riding in the care of a drunk driver.

Leandra Rosado is the little girl who changed laws, even in death. A memorial outside the Chelsea apartment of Rosado’s family marked the one year anniversary of Leandra’s Law, reports CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis.

“Yeah, today’s one year since the law went into effect,” Leandra’s father, Lenny Rosado, said.

Rosado lost his only child, but gained statewide recognition for his fight to stop drunk drivers from killing innocent children. He lobbied hard for the Passenger Protection Act, making it an automatic felony on the first offense of driving drunk with a child.

It’s how Leandra died.

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“I just can’t comprehend how adults can put their children in harm’s way, being intoxicated,” Rosado said.

Leandra was killed in October 2009 on the Henry Hudson Parkway, in a car driven by Carmen Huertas, the mother of her best friend. Huertas flipped the car carrying herself and six children, and was convicted under Leandra’s Law for driving while intoxicated. She’s now serving 12 years in prison.

“The tragedy of that case focused so many people’s attention, appropriately, on vehicular crim, driving while intoxicated,” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said.

Vance announced Saturday that more than 660 drivers across New York have been arrested under Leandra’s Law.

“We have upped our resources in the vehicular crime area – it’s very important,” Vance said.

“It took a tragedy for us as a city, as a state, to wake up and realize that we needed tough laws,” Rosado said.

Rosado said every day without LEandra has been difficult, but he knows other children are safer, and drivers are now on notice.

In August, a new measure was added to Leandra’s Law, requiring anyone convicted of drunk driving to install a steering wheel lock on their car.

Earlier this week, Carmen Huertas, 32, pleaded guilty to driving drunk in the crash that killed the 11-year-old Leandra Rosado and injured six other girls left in her care for an ill-fated ride to a slumber party last October.

Rosado’s death led to the passage of “Leandra’s Law” which made it a felony to drive drunk with a child younger than 15 in the car.

LISTEN: 1010 WINS’ Kathleen Maloney reports | WCBS 880′s Sophia Hall reports

Now, anyone sentenced for DWI, including first time offenders, on or after Aug. 15 will have to install and maintain an interlocking ignition device in their car. The device prevents a vehicle from starting if the operator is under the influence of alcohol.

Gov. David Paterson said Thursday that the device decreases vehicular homicides by 35 percent.

“I’m calling this the final knock-out punch,” Lenny Rosado said. “This will definitely put away people that think it’s okay to drink and drive.”

Jennifer Flynn, whose 7-year-old daughter, Katie, was killed by a drunken driver on Long Island in July 2005, says making the device mandatory for those convicted will emphasize the seriousness of the offense.

“I think that for too long people are less afraid to shoplift than they are to drink and drive that socially we accept it,” Flynn said.

The driver of the car that killed Leandra Rosado pleaded guilty to manslaughter as the dead girl’s father and one of her injured friends looked on.

Giselle Rosario stood on her re-built legs waiting for justice. She’s the most seriously injured survivor of the horrific West Side Highway crash that killed her 11-year-old friend back in October.

Carmen Huertas, 32, pleaded guilty to driving drunk in the crash that killed Leandra and injured six other girls left in her care for an ill-fated ride to a slumber party.

Giselle listened.

“It was pretty hard, but I was trying to be strong,” she told CBS 2’s Lou Young.

Huertas answered the judge in a strong voice Tuesday, wavering on the verge of tears when Leandra’s name was mentioned. She told the judge she’d been drinking cognac that night and said “yes” when asked if she was responsible for the mayhem that followed.

The judge said she’ll she get between three and 14 years when sentenced Oct. 1.

The dead girl’s father has already successfully campaigned for a state law making it a felony to drive drunk with a minor in the car. He said Huertas is getting off easy.

“This young lady took my daughter’s life. She was 11 years old and she had her whole life ahead of her. She gave me her word that night and it hurts. She said, ‘Lenny, you’re daughter’s in good hands,’ and that hurts,” Lenny Rosado said.

The truth is, Lenny Rosado isn’t exactly thrilled with this plea deal. He’d like a guarantee that Huertas would get at least 10 years in prison. But he told CBS 2’s Young he’s a realist and is shifting his attention now from this case that killed his daughter to a nationwide campaign to toughen drunk-driving laws.

Lenny Rosado has been invited to Washington next month to discuss “Leandra’s Law” with people at the Department of Transportation.

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