It has been a big year for ignition interlock device (IID) expansion in the U.S. States like Florida and Wisconsin both had bills run through the state legislative channels. Those states didn’t pass any type of new interlock laws, but it is possible to see similar efforts in the next few months. Pennsylvania and Maryland both passed laws to require interlock devices for any and all drunk driving offenses, joining the majority of states with those laws. All states have some type of IID requirement, so when you’re convicted of a DUI or similar crime and you have no car, things aren’t quite as easy.
Your IID requirement matters, no matter whether you own a car, have access to a vehicle you don’t own or have no vehicle at your disposal. Each state may handle the problem of car ownership/IID requirement differently. You may have to sign an affidavit that states you don’t own a car and have no regular access to a household vehicle, for example. In that case, you could be ordered to wait out the license suspension without an interlock requirement.
In some states, even when you don’t own a vehicle, that may also mean that once your suspension is up, you still cannot drive until you are able to fulfill the IID requirement.
Obviously, an IID requirement is only as good as the car used and the driver who takes it seriously. Remember that if you’re excluded from the interlock part of a DUI penalty, you cannot drive (while sober or intoxicated) under any circumstances without expecting even stricter consequences. You may have just gotten a new car, or quickly ran some errands, but your IID requirement says you can only do those things with the device, or be ready to sit at home and wait until you’re given the judicial “all clear” to begin driving.
Underage Drinking is No Party in Madison WI