If you are facing a drunk driving conviction, like a DUI or a DWI, you may also be looking at a car breathalyzer or an ignition interlock requirement to get you back on the road. The device is the best way to ensure that you are sober when driving your vehicle, while it lets you continue to work or manage your life as you did before your DUI. But, not everyone understands the value in the devices, and it isn’t unusual to see people trying to find alternatives to the required installation.
Let us stop you there. There is no effective alternative to an ignition interlock device. The technology stops a person from driving if they are under the influence of alcohol, making it a unique safety tool for law enforcement, the court system and drivers licensing agencies.
For example, an “ankle bracelet” type of home-monitoring device does not disable a vehicle if alcohol is detected. Nor does the same type of in-home monitoring device that an offender must periodically blow a breath sample into. The only federally-approved device to stop a person from drunk driving is an ignition interlock device.
But, maybe you aren’t even interested in a device that can do the same work as the interlock. Maybe you’re the type of person who wants to keep your freedom to make choices about your ability to drive while under the influence. Let’s say you try to skip the ignition interlock requirement and deal with your conviction on your own. In that case, your “alternative” is a suspended or revoked license, and the very likely chance that you will be caught driving illegally.
Even in states where cars are impounded because of a DUI and drunk drivers are banned from buying and/or consuming alcohol, repeat offenses still happen. You may be free to explore your options and alternatives, but, there is nothing else that is 100 percent effective in the fight against drunk drivers than a professionally-installed ignition interlock device.
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