Virginia Law Requires Ignition Interlock Devices for DUI Convictions

September 14, 2012

Virginia Law Requires Ignition Interlock Devices for DUI Convictions

Virginia is the most recent state to enact a law mandating the use of ignition interlock devices for all convicted drunk drivers. The law, which went into effect on July 1, will impact even first-time drunk drivers.

An IID is essentially a breathalyzer for a car that prevents the ignition from turning if the driver has a blood alcohol content of over 0.02 percent. Each time a convicted drunk driver attempts to start the engine, he or she must first blow into the device. The IID also administers random tests while on the road. A data recorder reports to the appropriate law enforcement agencies if the driver has a BAC over 0.02 percent, and the car will immediately start to flash its lights and sound the horn. The legal limit at which Virginia state law presumes a driver to be intoxicated is 0.08 percent, meaning that drivers convicted of a DUI must essentially abstain from alcohol entirely if they intend to drive.

Evidence suggests that IIDs help reduce re-arrest rates for drunk driving. In a 2010 study, a federal agency found that normally high re-arrest rates plummeted by nearly 70 percent for drivers who used the device. Laws requiring IIDs are aggressively promoted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving and debuted in 1986. Over 200,000 IIDs are installed in vehicles throughout the country.

Dangers of Drunk Driving

IIDs present a solution that allows convicted drunk drivers to keep driving while keeping the public safe. The solution is a popular one among the general public, with nearly 90 percent favoring mandatory IIDs in a recent study. IIDs also seem to be more effective than license suspensions, given that most convicted drivers continue to drive despite having suspended licenses.

Such a solution is sorely needed today. Over a million drivers are arrested in the U.S. for drunk driving each year. Accidents involving drunk drivers killed over 10,000 people in 2009. In Virginia, drunk driving has cost an average of over 300 lives each year since 2000.

Those injured in drunk driving accidents should contact an attorney to discuss how to obtain compensation for injuries.

Article provided by Curran & Whittington, PLLC
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