Alabama Ignition Interlock
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Of the many penalties you may face following a DUI conviction, none is quite as sophisticated as the ignition interlock system. But what is the ignition interlock? This technological achievement is designed to test for alcohol on a driver’s breath.
This system is installed in your vehicle and requires you (the driver) to blow into a small handheld alcohol sensor unit that is attached to the vehicle's dashboard. If the system finds your blood alcohol content level to be at a present level (usually 0.2 to 0.4 BAC), your car will not start.
The NHTSA has issued standards that some ignition interlock systems follow. These standards include a driver blowing into the device even after the car is started, usually every few minutes while driving. This is known as the running or rolling retest and it’s used to prevent a friend from starting the car and then allowing the driver to take over the vehicle.
Modern safeguards have allowed ignition interlock systems to be very difficult to evade when properly installed and monitored every 30 to 60 days. Courts and state motor vehicle departments use the ignition interlock system in conjunction with support programs. This is to provide DUI offenders to with an alternative to license suspension.
So if you’ve been convicted of a DUI, you may not necessarily lose your privilege to drive. Imagine you and your family members who share the use of the car can remain relatively undisrupted-individuals and can go to work, pick up children, run errands, etc. thanks to this device.
