California, You Can’t Trick a Car Breathalyzer

While the expansion of ignition interlock devices across California isn’t expected to final until 2018, we are all gearing up for better, safer roads. Even local news stations are beginning to prepare the state for its new, safer reality, by reminding us all that there’s no way to trick a car breathalyzer or ignition interlock. As such, you can bet that California won’t take to kindly to any attempts to trick a car breathalyzer.

It is a lot of work getting ignition interlock programs up and running, and when you try to trick a car breathalyzer, the consequences just add more frustration to your DUI conviction. California DUI law states:

• It is unlawful to remove, bypass, or tamper with, California car breathalyzer.
• It is unlawful for any person whose driving privilege is restricted to operate any vehicle not equipped with a functioning ignition interlock device.
• Any person convicted of a violation of this section shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months or by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment.
• Any person convicted of a violation shall immediately be removed from the program and serve the remaining time of the driver’s license restriction.
• The offender will also have an additional one-year driver’s license suspension for any of these violations.

When you try to trick a car breathalyzer, either with fake air, by asking someone to blow into the device for you, or any other method of circumvention of the process, you are in violation of your requirement. No attempts to trick a car breathalyzer, compound your DUI conviction or possibly losing more than your freedom to drive are worth the effort. If you’re drinking and you have a California car breathalyzer, or you are ready to head home by yourself after drinking, the trick is to call a friend to get you home safely.