FAQ: Understanding the Interlock Device – Colorado DUI Consequences

Interlock devices are wired beneath the dash of a vehicle and require a clean breath sample to start the car. Most units will prevent the car from starting if a blood-alcohol content of 0.03 percent or above is detected. A person has three tries to blow a clean sample before the device shuts down and requires a technician to recalibrate it.

About 100,000 people in the U.S. use the devices.  Most interlock users in Colorado are repeat offenders.

Law Drawing Critics

The harsh new stance on drunken drivers has its share of detractors.

Critics say interlock devices are expensive to maintain and provide a short-term answer to a long-term problem.

The offender pays for the device, which typically costs $100 for installation and about $80 a month to maintain. Most first-time offenders will have the device for 12 months. That cost is in addition to the more than $1,000 in fines imposed for a DUI conviction.

Studies have shown that while interlock devices are effective while in use, drivers tend to slip into old habits once the units are removed.

“We recognize that many offenders may have an alcohol dependency that underlies their drinking-and-driving behavior,” said Anne McCartt, vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “Even if interlocks don’t prevent drinking and driving when they’re removed, it can reduce drinking and driving while they’re installed, and we think that’s important.”

Although first-time offenders see interlocks as inconvenient, multiple offenders embrace the device, The device typically costs $100 for installation and about $80 a month to maintain.

How an Interlock Ignition Works

Cars with an interlock ignition will start only after drivers have proven they are sober. The driver breathes into the device for a required amount of time. The alcohol in the breath is measured, and that information is passed to a computer.

IF THEY FAIL

The car will not start.

Drivers can test again in 5 minutes.

IF THEY FAIL

The cars ignition will lock. It can be unlocked only by a technician.

IF THEY PASS

The car will start.

While driving, the device will prompt for a retest.

IF THEY FAIL

The failure is recorded and reported at monthly check-ins.

Republic research

The legal limit

The figures below show how much the average man or woman would have to drink to exceed the legal blood-alcohol limit of 0.08 percent in Colorado. One drink is a 12-ounce beer, 4-ounce glass of wine or a shot of hard liquor. It takes about an hour for the body to eliminate one drink.

For a 180-pound man

Each drink will give him a 0.02% BAC. To get the following blood-alcohol levels, he would have to drink the following in about an hour:

0.08% BAC 4 drinks

0.15% BAC 7.5 drinks

0.20% BAC 10 drinks

For a 165-pound woman

Each drink will give her a .027% BAC. To get the following blood-alcohol levels, she would have to drink the following in about an hour:

0.08% BAC 3 drinks

0.15% BAC 5.5 drinks

0.20% BAC 7.5 drinks

• FAQ: Colorado Interlock Requirements – Updated 2011
• Colorado DUI Cases – The Interlock Program
• Colorado DUI Laws 2011 Getting My Driver’s License Back (Reinstatement) After Revocation Due to Excess Blood Alcohol Level
• Colorado Criminal Law-Criminal Possession of Forgery Devices (18-5-109)
• Colorado DUI 2010 Changes In Sentencing

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