Ignition Interlock Devices in California
After being convicted of a DUI, certain California drivers will be required to have an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) installed on their vehicle. Learn more below about how IIDs work, and which drivers will be required to have them installed, and speak with a Ventura DUI defense lawyer if you’re facing charges for a DUI.
How do IIDs work?
IIDs measure a driver’s blood alcohol level before starting a car. The driver with a restricted license blows into the device, and if the device detects alcohol on the driver’s breath, the vehicle will not start. The device will require the driver to complete breath tests every few minutes throughout the drive to ensure that it was the driver and not a friend or passenger who completed the initial test.
Which drivers will be required to have an IID installed?
California judges have the option of requiring any driver convicted of a DUI-related offense to have an IID installed for up to three years as a condition of probation. This can include drivers convicted of:
- Driving under the influence
- Driving with a blood alcohol level of .08% or more
- Driving under the influence resulting in injury, or
- Driving with a license suspended after a DUI conviction
California law makes installation of an IID mandatory for certain drivers who have been convicted more than once of driving on a license suspended after a DUI conviction. Depending on the individual’s conviction history, the IID may be mandatory for between one and three years.
Pilot program mandating IID after first DUI to be expanded
Ventura county drivers who have been convicted of their first DUI will not typically be required to have an IID installed unless they refused to complete a blood or breath test, or their blood alcohol level was measured at .15% or more. However, there are currently four counties in California—Los Angeles, Tulare, Sacramento, and Alameda—where this is not the case. These counties are participating in a pilot program which requires all those convicted of an initial DUI to have an IID installed for a period of at least five months, and up to a year if the DUI resulted in injury. This pilot program is scheduled to be expanded to the entire state of California in January of 2019.
What fees are associated with an IID?
Drivers who are ordered to have an IID installed will need to pay a fee of approximately $85 to have the device installed, as well as monthly fees and calibration costs. In total, California drivers can expect to pay about $2.50 a day for their IID. If the court concludes that you can’t afford the costs associated with an IID, they will permit you to pay only what you can afford.
If you’ve been charged with a DUI in California and need help fighting the charges, contact the seasoned and aggressive Ventura DUI defense lawyer Paul Tyler for a consultation on your case, at 805-889-9000.