In combating the dangers of Drunk Driving, technology rides the forefront of effective deterrence.
In today’s society there is a continual growing problem of people driving while under the influence of alcohol. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, alcohol-impaired driving contributed to 12,998 deaths last year nationwide. There are many ways of punishing drunk drivers, such as fines, loss of license, and even jail time; but many states are now looking for updated technology to deter future problems of drunk driving. Many US states are now turning to a tool called the ignition interlock device. The IID has existed for many years, but is beginning to grow in popularity. What is it? Basically the IID is a new gadget designed to deter drunk driving by requiring the vehicle operator to provide a breath sample before starting the vehicle. The device can also require furthered rolling samples after starting and while driving the car to ensure alcohol isn’t being consumed.
An IID is a bit larger than a cell phone and is installed into the vehicles dashboard. It is designated to act like a breathalyzer to measure Breath Alcohol Content (BAC). If the driver's BAC is above the states allowable limit, the IID will enter a lockout period not allowing the car to start for a predetermined amount of time. (The level of BAC generally varies from state to state, but on average it resides between .2% to .4% percent.) If an administered test is failed while the vehicle is in operation, the car will not shut off as this could cause an accident. Instead, the IID would turn on the alarm, flash lights, or other display to attract attention to the driver.
If an offender is convicted and required to have this device installed in their vehicle, they must have it installed by a state approved manufacturer/installer. There are many different manufacturers and models, all which accomplish the same basic goal. The offender is responsible to pay for the installation fee which can range from $100-$200, along with the monthly rental fees that can range from $70-$100. The monthly rental fee can also go towards the monthly calibration that some models require.
The IID is largely tamper proof and designed not to be fooled by using balloons or other such things to blow samples of air into it. If any such attempts are made they are logged and will be flagged upon calibration inspection (typically at 30,60, and 90 day intervals). Basic IID systems aren’t completely foolproof. For instance, to start the car the driver could recruit a friend to take the initial test, even though they may fail a later rolling test while driving. If another passenger is in the car and not driving for whatever reason, they could also take the rolling test while the vehicle is in operation. However, due to this complication one company called Smart Start, Inc. from Irving has developed an IID that takes a picture of the driver each time the test is administered, answering the question, who is taking the test. Many judges in Texas have seen this as quite an effective method, and from September to October of 2008, over 250 of these IID’s were ordered to be installed.
While IID’s are not mandatory in all states, they certainly seem to provide a high level of deterrence where drunk driving is concerned.
