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Ignition Interlock

The average drunk driver has driven impaired by alcohol and/or drugs 80 times before a first arrest, and on any given day, your family shares the roadways with more than 2 million impaired drivers who have had three or more prior convictions.

While suspending the license of these individuals makes sense, in reality, three out of four of those with a suspended license continue to drive, threatening the safety of you and your loved ones.  STOP-DWI NY supports the usage of ignition interlock devices to require all convicted drunk drivers to prove they are sober before the car will start.

An Ignition Interlock Device (IID) is a breath-alcohol measurement device installed into a vehicle to prevent a person from starting the engine, or in certain cases, to continue to operate a motor vehicle after having consumed alcohol.  The driver must blow into the device before the vehicle will start.

The device records the following:

  1. Attempts to start the vehicle (with photo).
  2. The alcohol level of the individual at the time of starting the vehicle (with photo).
  3. The alcohol level at random intervals (with photo).
  4. Date, times and location the vehicle is operated.
  5.  Attempts to circumvent the device.

NYS Qualified Ignition Interlock Device Manufacturer Listing

The NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services has qualified the following Ignition Interlock Device Manufacturers.  Please contact your local Ignition Interlock Monitor prior to any installation of an interlock device.  

https://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/opca/ignition.htm

Ignition Interlock FAQs

Alcohol ignition interlocks are required to meet standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These standards ensure that the devices are reliable.
Offenders pay for the interlocks, as they are the ones getting the benefit from it (the ability to drive legally).
On average, interlocks are about $70-150 to install and about $60-80 per month for monitoring and calibration. This is less than three dollars a day. In most states, interlock companies provide interlock devices for offenders who can’t afford the devices or an indigent fund is set up by the state to cover costs for these offenders.
Interlocks are hooked up to a vehicle’s starter system, not to the engine itself. The interlock does not have the ability to stop the vehicle once it is running for safety reasons. When a driver fails a running retest, the vehicle’s horn will honk and/or the lights will flash to alert law enforcement – the vehicle will not stop.
No, they can drive the vehicle as well; they simply must blow into the device and prove sobriety before the car will start. Having an interlock installed on an offender’s vehicle actually allows the offender and his or her family to continue to drive legally. Other sanctions like vehicle impoundment or immobilization do not allow for this.

Contact your local STOP-DWI Coordinator for information on your Ignition Interlock Monitor and what steps need to be taken.

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New York’s STOP-DWI program is the Nations’ first and, to date, only self-sustaining impaired driving program. Other States have implemented components of self-sufficiency, but none to the degree of New York State.