Ignition Interlock Device

Drunk driving is one of the few crimes where people with no criminal record get arrested, fail to learn their lesson, and then do the same thing again. Many people do not even think of drunk driving as a crime because they engage in this dangerous behavior so frequently.

However, the truth is drunk driving is illegal and for a good reason. Thousands of innocent victims are seriously injured or killed each year because of others’ negligent decision to drive drunk.

There are many public service campaigns, sobriety checks points, and increased police patrols, but much of this only serves as a minor deterrent. It cannot physically prevent people from driving a vehicle under the influence of intoxicating liquor. The ignition interlock device (IID) is designed to do exactly that. Continue reading

A vehicle ignition interlock is a device that some states require to be installed on the cars of repeat drunk driving offenders. The device consists of a breath test tube in which the driver must blow before starting the vehicle.

Originally, alcohol interlock devices were only used prior to starting the car. However, it became apparent that many intoxicated drivers were having a sober person blow into the tube, so they could start the car before driving away. This is what prosecutors call a “blow and go.” Now, the device can alert the driver at any time, and he or she is required to blow into the tube again to keep the car running. There were many who were concerned this could result in a serious danger to the driver if his or her vehicle shut down in a unsafe location and would not restart, but the companies manufacturing the devices say they have designed their respective systems say they were made in a way that will not occur. Continue reading

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