Ignition Interlock Devices and Pennsylvania DUI Cases

An ignition interlock device is equipment installed into a vehicle that prevents the car from starting if the driver has a certain preset blood alcohol content (BAC) - usually zero. Ignition interlock devices are mandatory in some Pennsylvania DUI cases and can serve as a sentencing alternative in others. A knowledgeable Pennsylvania DUI lawyer from Levow & Associates can review your case and determine whether an ignition interlock device may be ordered or used voluntarily in your driving under the influence case.

You can be sentenced to mandatory use of an ignition interlock device for a year or longer in any Pennsylvania DUI case where you have a prior driving under the influence conviction within the past 10 years. If you have a prior driving under the influence conviction that occurred more than 10 years ago, your current Pennsylvania DUI case will be treated as a first offense.

An ignition interlock device may also serve as a sentencing alternative that helps you to avoid some or all of a more traditional punishment in a first-time Pennsylvania DUI case. Your Pennsylvania DUI attorney can review your driving under the influence charge to determine whether an ignition interlock device is likely in your case.

Ignition interlock devices employ a simple principle - your vehicle will not start unless you can provide a breath sample that shows that your BAC is within certain limits. Once your vehicle is running, you must perform periodic "rolling re-tests" to ensure that the driver is the same person who provided the breath test that started the car.

If you are required to use an ignition interlock device by the court or do so voluntarily as a sentencing alternative, you'll be required to pay the cost of installation, leasing the device and having the equipment periodically calibrated.

Ignition interlock devices are becoming more and more common in Pennsylvania DUI cases. To learn more about the use of ignition interlock devices in Pennsylvania DUI cases, please contact a skilled attorney from Levow & Associates today for a free consultation.