There is a bill awaiting signature on Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk that will require all judges to impose the same sentence on all convicted drunk drivers. That sentence would require all drunk drivers to install ignition-interlock devices in their vehicles. If the Governor signs the bill, it will go into a trial period in July 2010 in just four counties: Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Tulare. It would then go statewide in 2016.
The measure has been questioned by some. What amount of blood alcohol content will allow the vehicle to start? And what prevents someone sober from blowing into the ignition to get the car started for a drunk friend?
The ignition-interlock devices are incredibly sensitive, and can pick up any measurable amount of alcohol in one’s system–even from as little as one drink, so it does not necessarily allow drivers to be just under the .08 blood alcohol content maximum. To prevent a sober friend from blowing into the device and then letting the drunk driver drive away, many models of the system require random samples for the duration of the time that the engine is running. That way the driver must be the one who is able to provide a sober breath. If a sober sample is not provided, the car will start honking, and alarms will go off. The car will not just shut off, because that would also pose a danger to those on the road, but it will be mighty annoying to the driver and any passengers.
Participants in interlock programs are 15 percent to 69 percent less likely than other offenders to be rearrested for drunken driving. Though the device is proven to deter drunk driving and is offered to judges a sentencing option in nearly every state, it is often not imposed by judges. This could be because many judges aren’t aware of it as an option, or because enforcing this sentence is more difficult than simply collecting a fine. Whatever the reason, the California law hopes to increase the use of these devices, and the safety of our streets, by making the igntion-interlock device mandatory for convicted drunk drivers.
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