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What is the appeal noted in the letter to customers who need
to have an interlock secured on their vehicle? This is a writ of certiorari, which has to be filed in circuit court. Regardless of a writ being filed, the customer must meet the deadline for the interlock installation or his license will be cancelled. Customers are encouraged to seek advice of private counsel of their choosing to determine if this remedy is appropriate for them. Can anyone who is required to have a device get one installed or must they wait for the cancellation letter? Anyone can request an appointment to have the device installed. In fact, only those people who have reinstated their driver license will receive a cancellation letter. Anyone with an open DUI sanction requiring ignition interlock who comes to reinstate their license after February 1, 2004 is required to comply prior to license reinstatement. Why were drivers licensed after July 2003 when they were required to have an ignition interlock device placed on their vehicle? Since the ignition interlock program was delayed in starting, the department decided it was consistent with the legislation to delay the requirement until the program was operational. These statute requires all persons with two or three DUIs to have the device placed on their vehicles when their driving privileges are reinstated. This is true for those who requested a hardship permit or those who waited out their suspension period. How long will the customer have to have the device on their vehicle? First time offenders with either a breath alcohol concentration level of 0.15 or higher or driving with a minor in the vehicle at the time of the offense will be required to have the device for up to 6 months. Second offenders must have the device for at least 1 year or at least 2 years if the BAL was greater than 0.15 or a minor was in the vehicle. Third offenders must have the device for at least 2 years. What if a customer owns/drives multiple vehicles? The statute requires an interlock device on all vehicles the customer owns and routinely operates. What if a customer does not own a vehicle? In order to reinstate the driver license, the customer must install an ignition interlock device in a vehicle that he/she owns and routinely operates. What if a customer drives his employer’s vehicle? If the customer has met the ignition interlock requirements and holds a valid license with a "P" restriction, then, if the employer provides written permission the person may operate the employer’s vehicle for job-related purposes without the required device. The letter of permission from the employer is to be kept with the vehicle and should be provided to law enforcement if stopped for a traffic violation. Can you register a vehicle and secure a tag without a driver license? Yes. However, if there are any outstanding insurance, child support, or D6 suspensions, the tag cannot be issued. These suspensions must be cleared on your driver record in order for the tag to be issued. Can the interlock device be installed anywhere besides the service center? No, it must be installed at an authorized service center site. How much does the interlock device cost? The cost is $70, plus tax, for installation and $67.50, plus tax, for monthly monitoring. Can someone other than the customer use the device? Yes, anyone who drives the vehicle will have to use the device in order to start the vehicle. To prevent circumvention of the device, random rolling retests are required. If the customer does not have the person who provided the original sample ride with him/her to present an additional breath sample a violation may occur. Note an initial retest is required within the 1st 5 minutes of starting the vehicle. Additional random retests occur between 15 to 30 minutes later. Does the customer have to give a breath sample right away during a rolling retest? No, the customer will have up to three (3) minutes to give a breath sample before the alarm sounds. If the customer is uncomfortable with giving a sample, this will allow plenty of time to pull over. Will the device turn off the vehicle while someone is driving? No, at no point will the ignition interlock device shut off a vehicle. What happens if the customer uses mouthwash before blowing into the device? Most likely the device will register alcohol if the mouthwash has alcohol in it. The level at which it will register can vary. If the level is high enough to prevent the car from starting, the customer can rinse their mouth out with water and wait for the 5-minute retest. It is important to take the retest. By passing this, it will identify the first test as latent alcohol. What is the threshold for a lockout? The setting of the device is 0.05. Anything above will not allow the vehicle to start. Can the threshold setting of the device vary from 0.05? By court order, judges may require a lower threshold. How much time elapses from the first lock out before the device is reset? The time frame for the initial breath sample reset will be 4 hours. If you give a breath sample over the set point, this will remain the original sample for 4 hours. Any sample given over the set point within that time frame will result in a violation. After 4 hours it goes back to an original sample. How long will someone have after triggering an early recall before the device will no longer allow him/her to start his/her car? If the device goes into a violation, the device will count down a minimum of 5 days in which customers will need to bring the vehicles in to a service center or they will not be able to start their vehicles. What happens if you have repair work done on a car with the device? You should inform the vendor prior to having the vehicle worked on and then present the receipt at the next monthly appointment. Note that anytime the battery is disconnected due to service work, the customer must bring a repair receipt to the next monthly appointment. Can the device be circumvented? The device is designed with anti-circumvention security. Some of these include the hum while blowing, humidity reading, power disconnect reading and rolling retest. How is the accuracy of the device measured? At each monthly service visit, the device will be recalibrated. Additionally, each time the device is powered on a diagnostic test is performed. If a customer moves out of state, what happens to the interlock requirement? If he has a Florida license, the requirement follows him. Florida will not clear the driver record until all requirements are met. Please contact the appropriate Florida ignition interlock vendor to coordinate installation and service out of state. How many states currently have an interlock program? Currently 46 states and the District of Columbia permit some offenders to drive only if their vehicles have been equipped with ignition interlocks. For more information go to www.iihs.org/laws/state_laws/dui.html. Can a customer who is a dual resident, living part time in Florida, use the interlock service centers for monthly recalibration both here and in the other state in which they reside? Yes, if the same vendor is used in both states, or if the vendor coordinates with the out-of-state vendor. How does a customer change from one ignition interlock vendor to another if they move? If the customer is moving to a region serviced by the same vendor he/she will simply have to transfer from one service site to another. If the customer is moving to a region with a different vendor the device will be de-installed and a replacement installed at no cost. The two vendors will facilitate the transfer.
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