As recent news outlets have reported about first DUI Ignition Interlock laws, today many states now mandate Ignition Interlocks for first-time DUI offenders throughout most of the country. A driver who gets convicted of DUI or DWI charges will already be facing serious costs and consequences such as a driver’s license suspension, fines, DUI classes, and possible jail time.
With the new DUI laws, most 1st DUI offense drivers will also be required to become part of the Ignition Interlock Program. The DUI interlock program was created to help ensure that a person who has been convicted of or pleads guilty to even one DUI offense, will not become a second-time or repeat offender.
However if a person has been recently arrested for DUI or DWI charges and has not yet been convicted, there are possible ways how to avoid an Ignition Interlock when a conviction to the offense can be prevented in the first place.
How an Ignition Interlock Device Will Affect a Driver and Employment
Following a conviction or guilty plea for a driving under the influence charge, even for a first DUI offense, a person will likely be required to install an ignition interlock device on any car they will be driving. This also will include having to get an Ignition Interlock on any company car or vehicle used for work. Therefore, it is understandable what a serious concern this is for many people for how an Ignition Interlock will affect employment, in both keeping a job and how it could ruin their professional reputation.
The period of time a person will be required to have an Ignition Interlock can last from 1 to 3 years, which will depend on the specifics of a person’s DUI arrest details. After the requirement time period ends, the car Breathalyzer interlock can be removed. How the Ignition interlock device works, is it has a driver blow into a breathalyzer machine that is installed in the vehicle, and if the machine detects a blood alcohol content (BAC) over a certain threshold it prevents the vehicle from starting. The idea is to keep drunk drivers off of the streets by making it impossible for the car to drive in the first place, and helps to prevent a repeat DUI offense from occurring.
The chances of a person repeating a DUI for a second offense will be drastically lower with the interlock device installed on a person’s vehicle. Before a driver can start the car, they must exhale into the interlock Breathalyzer device. If it detects a blood alcohol level over a preset amount (usually .02), the car’s engine will not start. To further ensure no DUI offense happens, a driver will be required to continue giving breath samples at random times during the time of driving. If at any time an inappropriate blood alcohol level is detected, the Ignition Interlock device will log the event and then start an alarm until the ignition is turned off or an appropriate breath sample is offered.
The high expense and cost of having to get and install an Ignition Interlock car breathalyzer is something else to be aware of after a first DUI charge offense. Many people don’t realize that driving under the influence not only puts others in danger, but can cost them a significant amount of money. It will cost an average $150 just to have the ignition interlock device installed to ensure a driver has not consumed any alcohol before driving their car. Next, a person will be required to pay an average fee of $98 a month to rent the Ignition Interlock device, and then an additional $50 charge to have the interlock removed – once the length of time for using the Ignition Interlock has ended.
There is not only the stigma associated with even just one DUI conviction that will follow a person who is required to use ignition interlock device, but also the ongoing threat of further legal problems without any further traffic or legals issues on the driver’s part. Unfair and unjust as this may be, it’s one of the many ways how a DUI and Ignition Interlock in can seriously affect a person’s job and life in general. A single mistake should not cause legal problems for years, and shouldn’t put a driver at the mercy of an Ignition Interlock device that could malfunction and can further affect a person’s life and employment.
Any person who is charged with a first DUI or DWI arrest, needs to protect their rights and interests from the beginning of the case by having the arrest details professionally reviewed online with us for what defense options are available. Don’t let an Ignition Interlock device become an indefinite and disruptive part of your future. Get help fighting for the justice you deserve, and make a DUI defense as effective as possible to avoid the high costs and consequences of a conviction.
How a First Offense DUI Lawyer Can Help After a DUI or DWI Arrest Charge
There are times when an experienced first DUI offense lawyer can assist those charged with DUI or DWI in possibly getting exempted from having to get an Ignition Interlock device. If this is a person’s first time being charged with driving under the influence, and a driver’s alleged blood alcohol content level was not too high, a skilled DUI attorney can help in fighting for why a driver should be considered for exemption from the Ignition Interlock requirement.
Once the nearest expert DUI attorney is able to review the arrest details with us online, a local lawyer will then be able to discuss the possibility of avoiding having to get an Ignition Interlock for a first offense, as well as other defense strategies that may help in getting the charges dismissed entirely. After being able to examine the arrest circumstances submitted online, a local DUI defense lawyer from where a person will be going to court at, can help a person identify anything that would help in preventing the requirement of having to get the ignition interlock device installed.
As these recent news reports have said about how many states now will require an Ignition Interlock for a first DUI offense, a person owes it to themselves to have the arrest details examined online free with us for options of how we can help avoid the serious DUI consequences and Ignition Interlock penalties whenever possible.
A driver can discuss the specifics of what happened in the events leading up to the DUI charges, and get the information and defense strategies needed for how to fight and dismiss a first offense DUI or DWI case.
Taryn J. White is a legal research specialist and DUI law news reporter. Her current accomplishments include helping those facing any driving under the influence arrest charges, get free online assistance in learning how to fight a DUI case for the best possible outcome.
