Source: http://www.floridaignitioninterlocks.com/faqs
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 00:55:39+00:00

Document:
Why do we have mandatory ignition interlock laws?
Is there more than one type or model of interlock?
Does the ignition interlock reduce the number of DUIs?
What Happens if the Ignition Interlock Detects Alcohol?
Will I be required to have an ignition interlock device?
Where will the ignition interlock device be installed?
Who will pay for the cost of my ignition interlock?
What if I cannot afford to pay for an ignition interlock?
How long am I required to have an ignition interlock?
What if I decide not to have an Interlock installed?
Where are the Pinellas Interlock Installation Centers Located?
Are interlocks required on my employer’s vehicle?
Can I get an ignition interlock device installed on my motorcycle?
How accurate are ignition interlocks?
How can I Avoid a Violation?
Will anybody know if my breath test exceeds the limit?
What kind of information is recorded & downloaded?
Which states require ignition interlock devices?
Can ignition interlocks be cheated or bypassed?
What if I’m caught driving without an ignition interlock?
How has New Mexico impacted Interlock Legislation?
What kind of information is recorded & downloaded”?
Whether you employed the emergency override feature.
The information is compiled in the form of a “Driver Activity Summary Report.” These data logs can serve as incriminating evidence of “events” that could form a basis for the termination of your driving privileges. After your initial installation, it will be necessary for you to revisit your interlock provider each month for a “monitoring check.” The purpose of these visits is to download all of the event data associated with your use of the ignition interlock. It is also an opportunity for the service technician to download your photographic images and at times, to check the calibration of your interlock device. Each of the three service providers will conduct the “monitoring check in accordance with their own administrative procedures. Accordingly, it is not the job of the service technician to ascertain whether you are in compliance with the interlock program. With some service providers, the monthly data is only reviewable at the company’s corporate headquarters by an individual possessing a “secured access role.” It is at this separate and remote corporate headquarter location that an official “compliance review” is made. However, other service providers review the data right at the service center. Regardless of which practice is employed, when appropriate, a “violation report” is electronically forwarded to the Florida Department of Highway Safety, Division of Driver’s Licenses. Drive-Through Service Some interlock providers have you drive into their garage and permit you to remain in your vehicle while the monitoring procedure takes place. The service center technician will roll a utility cart up to your vehicle’s driver side window. Mounted on the cart is a web based PC and calibration hardware. The service center technician will wire-connect the handset of your interlock to his computer. The proprietary software will thereafter download all of the above listed “events” to a secure Internet-based corporate computer. The technician will also securely affix a rubber connector to the mouthpiece of your interlock. This connection incorporates a prominent dry gas regulator and a lengthy hose which leads to a large cylinder container in the service center garage. The cylinder is filled with a certified “ethanol dry gas standard.” The “standard” consists of a mixture of alcohol and gas which produces a known alcohol vapor concentration. The manufacturing source of the “standard” is required to be traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It is through this “simulated” breath testing that the proper calibration of your interlock is checked. Waiting Room Service Other service providers offer an air-conditioned waiting room with complimentary television. You park your vehicle in a convenient parking lot and check-in with the customer service representative. A technician drives your vehicle into the garage and removes the detachable handset of your ignition interlock device. It is then connected to proprietary hardware for the purpose of downloading images and event data from the memory chip in the interlock. The calibration and purging of your ignition interlock is then accomplished utilizing a simulator pump and “wet bath” simulator system. The technician will use premixed and certified alcohol reference solutions. These standards are also traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In both circumstances, the monthly “monitoring check” is accomplished in a relatively short period of time. Your next monthly service appointment is programed into your interlock by the customer service representative and the device will subsequently provide you with friendly reminders as that date approaches.
Florida Statutes §316.193 mandates that upon conviction for DUI, the Court shall, in certain circumstances, order the driver to have an ignition interlock device installed prior to their permanent or restricted drivers license reinstatement. The following persons are subject to the ignition interlock requirement: After a 1st time DUI conviction if the driver’s breath or blood alcohol level at the time of his original DUI offense registered a .15 or greater. F.S. §316.193(4). After a 1st time DUI conviction if a person under 18 years of age was a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the original DUI offense. F.S. §316.193(4). All multiple offenders seeking reinstatement. F.S. §316.193(2)(a)(3). Note: Under Florida Statute Section 316.1937(1), judges retain the discretion to order an Ignition Interlock for any driver convicted of an DUI offense, even where their breath or blood alcohol level was below a .15. Click here to read our article on the availability of Hardship Licenses for Multiple Offenders. Click here to read our comprehensive article on DUI Hardship License Tips.
There is a strong argument that can be made that the use of an ignition interlock device greatly reduces the risk of recidivism (See next question below.) Thus, greater safety on our highways was obviously a motivating force behind these new laws. However, an investigation by our office revealed the following three factors we believe may have greatly contributed to the passage of Florida’s Ignition Interlock legislation. Back to Top 1. Florida wanted to avoid losing valuable Federal-Aid Highway Funds: In 1998, the United States Federal government passed the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21). This act directed states to pass particular DUI legislation directed at drivers with more than one DUI or face the loss of Federal-Aid Highway Funds. A subsequent modification of TEA-21 occurred through the TEA-21 Restoration Act. Section 164 of this later legislation specifically directed states to require ignition interlock devices. Accordingly, those states without ignition interlock laws stand to lose a portion of their Federal-Aid Highway funds. 2. Strong lobbying efforts on the part of the ignition interlock industry: Mandatory ignition interlock devices in Florida represent a great opportunity for those businesses that employ this unique trade. See: New drunk law spawns biz opportunities. Business Weekly. August 9, 2002 American Business Journals Inc. 3. Public recognition of both Senators and Representatives: Any positive recognition is deemed beneficial to those hopeful to remain in public office. Such is the case when on June 11, 2002, the Hillsborough County Florida Chapter of MADD publicly honored Senator Locke Burt, Representative David Simmons, and Representative Johnnie Byrd for sponsoring the bill that enacted Florida’s new ignition interlock legislation. One publication we reviewed speculated that the media probably required wide angle lenses to photograph Governor Bush (and the numerous supporters of the bill) when the Governor actually signed the ignition interlock legislation into law.
Most states have passed laws requiring ignition interlock devices for DUI offenders. Over the years the constitutionality of such laws have been challenged before the courts. For instance, on March 6, 2002 the Superior Court of Pennsylvania affirmed a lower court’s ruling that ignition interlock devices do not violate equal protection. Requiring such devices to promote public safety was found by the Court to be “reasonably related” to keeping intoxicated drivers of the road. Commonwealth v. Etheredge, 794 A.2d 391, (PA Super, 2002).
In 26 states, anyone convicted of a DUI, including first-time offenders, must install an ignition interlocks prior to drivers license reinstatement.
An additional 13 states (Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Wyoming and Wisconsin Island require interlocks for first-time offenders only with high breath alcohol levels, (usually 0.15 percent or higher) and for all multiple offenders.
Six states, (Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, California, Georgia, Idaho and Ohio) require interlocks only for multiple offenders.
Nevada requires the device only for high-BAC offenders.
Currently, the District of Columbia, along with four states have no laws requiring ignition interlocks. Th is includes (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Indiana.).
It is a violation of the law to tamper with or circumvent the operation of an ignition interlock device. Florida Statute §316.1937(6)(a).
It is a violation of the law to have someone else blow into your ignition interlock for the purpose of starting your vehicle. In fact, merely “requesting” or “soliciting” someone else to blow into the device is a violation of law. Florida Statute §316.1937(6)(b).
It is a violation of the law if you blow into an ignition interlock device for someone else for the purpose of starting their vehicle. F.S. §316.1937(6)(c).
It is a violation of the law to lend your unequipped vehicle to someone whom you know is operating under an ignition interlock restriction. F.S. §3161937(6)(d).
It is a violation of the law to attempt to borrow or lease another person’s motor vehicle without first informing them that your driving privilege has an interlock restriction. F.S. §3161937(6)(d).
Recordation of any time that power to the unit was disconnected or interrupted.
New Mexico struggled for years with alcohol related motor vehicle crashes. Despite its small population, in 2003, the state had the sixth highest rate in the nation for alcohol-related highway deaths. In that year alone, there were 213 fatalities and 3,500 alcohol-involved crashes. In order to address this problem, in 2005 New Mexico became the first state to undertake aggressive ignition interlock legislation. It was also the first state to require that everyone convicted of DUI be required to install an Ignition Interlock. New Mexico currently has more vehicles with interlocks per capita than anywhere else in the country. The New Mexico interlock program has been the source of intense study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA has acknowledged that “The legislative achievements in New Mexico changed the outlook for interlocks’ potential for making a contribution to road safety.” New Mexico’s success in reducing alcohol related injuries and fatalities along with the findings of NHTSA have influenced law makers throughout the United States.
Ignition interlock devices utilize either “fuel cell” or “gas sensor” technology. As such, they are less accurate than the intoxilyzer machines used by law enforcement. Intoxilyzers employ a somewhat more discriminating science called “infrared spectrometry.” However, even the accuracy of intoxilyzer testing falls far short of blood testing. This more exact science makes use of a laboratory process known as “gas chromatography. “Gas chromatography” reports only the ethyl alcohol present in the sample. Whereas, these lesser testing methods are non-specific for ethyl alcohol and have to be careful with improperly detecting other irrelevant methyl alcohol-like substances. For a more in-depth analysis of breath versus blood testing see our article: Your Right to an Independent Blood Test.
The American Beverage Institute’s “Interlock Facts” provides a contrarian view to the benefits of Interlocks.

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