If you have a Colorado DUI conviction, and a resulting suspended or revoked driver’s license, driving is out of the question. Colorado puts the safety of sober drivers above your need to drive after a DUI. So even though there is not a mandatory, all-offender Colorado ignition interlock requirement through the court, you may still require the device if you fit into the following situations:
- You were convicted of a Colorado DUI (alcohol or drug-related). Ignition interlock devices are required to restore your driving privileges after a DUI, no matter what your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was at the time of your arrest or if your DUI was due to marijuana or any other intoxicating substance.
- You refused the police breathalyzer test during a traffic stop or DUI checkpoint. You violate Colorado’s implied consent laws when you refuse a breathalyzer. As a result, you’ll need an ignition interlock to get back on the road.
- You are a designated a “habitual traffic offender” because you have racked up three or more DUI offenses or other traffic violations.
- You wish to drive legally but your license is suspended or revoked.
Colorado ignition interlock devices are required to restore driving privileges after a DWAI (driving while ability impaired) conviction, too. Your BAC doesn’t even have to meet or exceed the per se limit to be charged with and convicted of a lesser drunk driving charge.
Colorado also imposes administrative penalties through the DMV, which are separate and may run concurrently with any criminal penalties. Those penalties include ignition interlock requirements, whether the violation is a low BAC DUI (.08 percent), an implied consent violation or one that occurred while you were driving a commercial vehicle. All Colorado ignition interlock penalties through the DMV begin with an eight-moth requirement and have a minimum of two or more years, on top of any court-related interlock requirements.
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