Ignition Interlock Devices
Ignition interlock devices, or IIDs, work like a personal, on-board breathalyzer used to detect drivers’ blood alcohol content before they can start their vehicle’s engine. The mechanism requires drivers to exhale into a special device that has been installed into their vehicle. If the machine detects any traces of alcohol, or traces above a pre-programmed limit, the car’s engine will not start.
Just in case a driver does get the engine started, perhaps because they tried to be clever and have someone else blow into the device, the machine requires another sample of the driver’s breath at random times while they are driving their vehicle.
If alcohol is detected, the device will not shut down the engine — this could cause serious accidents and liability for the device manufacturers. Instead, the device creates a log of the person’s new breath results, or logs the event if the person ignores the request. Either way, the machine will issue an audible warning to the driver, then start making the car’s horn honk repeatedly or flash its lights repeatedly until the driver stops the car or provides a sample of clean breath.
Safer Streets with Ignition Interlock Devices
Driving while under the influence of alcohol is illegal in every state, yet it continues to cause a large number of accidents each year, many of them fatal. In 2009, almost 11,000 people were killed in accidents that involved at least one person with a blood alcohol content over the legal limit.
This does not include drunk-driving accidents that resulted in severe injuries, but not fatalities; nor does it consider accidents involving drivers who were impaired by alcohol but under the legal limit. Drunk driving fatalities are four times more likely to happen at night, and about 30 percent of all fatal accidents that happen on weekends involve someone that was alcohol-impaired.
Drivers that were legally drunk and involved in fatal driving accidents had an eight times more likelihood of having at least one prior drunk driving conviction. If IID devices discourage even some of these drivers from getting behind the wheel while drunk, the streets become safer for other drivers.
So far, some studies have shown repeat offenses were reduced by approximately 65 percent, although other studies have shown this to hold true only while the device remains installed in the driver’s vehicle.
Car Insurance and the IID
The cost of car insurance makes up a decent chunk of the overall expense to own and drive a car. When accident and fatality rates increase, auto insurers must raise rates to keep paying out money on claims and remain profitable at the same time. If the IID can reduce drunk driving accidents, insurers could drop their rates.
For certain zip codes that see a larger number of drunk driving accidents, this could really make a difference. Drivers that have been convicted of a DUI, whether or not they were involved in an accident, often find it very difficult to find new auto insurance.
If they install and use an interlock device, they may be able to more readily find an insurance company that will cover them. Additionally, the IID allows some drivers to regain their license sooner for restricted driving, such as a commute to and from work.
State Legislation for the Interlock Device
Currently, many states legally require repeat drunk-driving offenders to install an interlock device in their vehicle and use it for a set period of time, such as three years. Government lobbyists have recently begun pushing for each state to require the interlock device for all convicted DUI offenders.
A proposed bill would require states to enact this provision in exchange for receiving a certain amount of highway funding. Some feel this policy could cross a line between enhancing public safety and allowing too much governmental control.
The debate may be continuing as to whether these devices will become mandatory for all convicted drunk drivers, or even installed in every new car in the future. Even with current usage limited mostly to repeat offenders, however, these little machines have made a noticeable reduction in the number of drivers getting out on the road after too many drinks.
Even if lawmakers keep things the same as they are now, the public can expect to continue feeling a little bit safer knowing that these protective devices exist and are being used.