Florida Ignition Interlock
Ignition Interlock Explained
This article appears on the MADD website and expains what a Florida Interlock Device is and how it is used. An Interlock Device may be required on your automobile as a result of being convicted of a DUI in the State of Florida. In addition, before your license is reinstated you will be required to obtain a Florida FR44 Insurance policy and for a term of 3 years. The intent of these requirements is to reduce the recidivism of DUI and to ensure that high risk drivers obtain an insurance policy with higher than minimum requirements for property damage and liability. If you need a Florida FR44 Automobile Insurance Policy our quote system will provide you with the best prices available, using your specific information and checking with over 10 A Rated Insurance Companies with no hassle and no obligation. To find out how much FR44 Florida Insurance costs our quote engine is available for your use.
The average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before a first arrest, and on any given day, your family shares the roadways with more than 2 million drunk drivers who have had three or more prior convictions.
While suspending the license of these individuals makes sense, in reality, three out of four of those with a suspended license continue to drive, threatening the safety of you and your loved ones. That’s why MADD supports the usage of ignition interlock devices to require all convicted drunk drivers to prove they are sober before the car will start.
What is an Ignition Interlock?
An ignition interlock is a device about the size of a cell phone that is wired into the ignition system of a vehicle. A convicted drunk driver must blow into the device in order to start their vehicle. If they have a measurable amount of alcohol in their system, the vehicle will not start. It is a simple and economical way to make sure that offenders can drive to and from work, but that they can’t drive drunk.
Requiring Interlocks for All Offenders Saves Lives
West Virgina, Arizona, Louisiana and New Mexico have all seen their drunk driving deaths drop dramatically after all-offender interlock laws were passed. CDC research finds reductions in repeat offenses of about two-thirds due to interlocks.
Just think, if about a third of the drunk driving problem that kills over 10,000 people each year and injures about 290,000 more comes from repeat offenders, and we can reduce their repeat offenses by two-thirds, we can save thousands of lives and prevent tens of thousands of injuries each year.
Now it’s not that simple, for a few reasons:
- Currently, 30 states, plus Washington D.C., require interlocks for all offenders. See if your state is one here. If it isn’t, we need you to let your legislators know you want this law passed.
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Even when laws are passed, they are not always enforced. We need court monitors to help see if the system is failing us; please click here to volunteer with MADD.