Most of us go through a short mental checklist when we get behind the wheel of our cars.
Seat belt? Check. Kids belted in? Check. Rearview mirror adjusted? Check.
But some drivers have one more step: blowing into a device attached to the inside of their cars that determines whether they are sober. If they have been drinking alcohol -- even a sip -- their cars will not start.
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New York was the most recent state to enact a law forcing anyone with a drunken-driving conviction to have a breath analyzer installed in his or her car. New York has joined 13 other states that mandate the on-board breath analyzers, called ignition interlocks, for all DUI offenders (first-time and repeat offenders) and is one of 47 states that employ the devices in order to reduce repeat DUI offenses. In some states, the interlocks are the only way convicted DUI offenders can get back their licenses.
Do on-board breath analyzers work?
Several studies have found that use of the ignition interlock devices reduces the risk of repeat offenses by as much as 65%.According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, while some states require all DUI offenders to have car breath analyzers, many others allow drivers to get back their suspended licenses after DUIs if they agree to have the devices installed.
"Many (DUI offenders) end up driving anyway, even without insurance or a valid driver's license, so this is just an added safeguard," says Marc Bergman, the director of field operations for Smart Start, which sells interlock devices around the country.
New Mexico, in 2005, was the first state to mandate interlock devices for repeat DUI offenders, and as of late 2008 there were more than 130,000 ignition interlock devices working in 45 states, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A device costs a DUI offender up to $200 to install and requires the driver to pay a monthly service fee of up to $100. The device has to remain in the offender's vehicle for a period of time that is usually determined by the severity of the offense. In Florida, for instance, the courts can order you to install a device for at least two years if it's your third DUI or if you had a child under age 15 in the car when you drove drunk.
Thwarting interlock cheaters
As you can imagine, some DUI offenders try to outsmart the devices. For instance, say a DUI offender has had a few drinks at a bar and then needs to drive home. What's to stop him from offering to pay a stranger $20 to blow into his interlock device?Bergman, who sells interlock devices in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island, says the devices have become sophisticated enough to stymie even a "technical wizard" who is trying to defeat it. Some features include:
- Taking a picture of every test to catch drivers who persuade other people to blow into their devices for them.
- Forcing the driver to hum into the breathing tube so the device knows it's measuring a human being and not, say, a leaf blower.
- Requiring random tests to prevent drivers from drinking after they start driving or letting their cars idle while they sit inside bars. Washington's Department of Licensing calls these "rolling retests."
- Hard-wiring to the horn and headlights, both of which are activated in a heart-stopping frenzy if you try to bypass the system.
The devices are calibrated to detect even low levels of alcohol -- mouthwash can cause a failed test -- because convicted drunken drivers are prohibited from driving with any alcohol in their systems. You're not advised to take a test with a severe hangover either – lingering alcohol will cause you to fail the test.
Interlock companies send the data collected by the devices to designated authorities, such as district attorneys or probation officers. In some states, multiple failures can cause you to lose your license again or force you to keep a device installed longer.
Continued: DUI car insurance causes sticker shock
