When someone has been convicted of a drunk driving offense in Florida and has lost their privilege to drive, they may be required to have an interlock device installed on their vehicle or vehicles before their privilege to drive is reinstated. Driving under the influence (DUI) in Florida has a variety of possible penalties for conviction, of which this is just one. The Florida Ignition Interlock Program is one of the penalties as required by Section 316.193 of the Florida Statutes.

Basic Requirements

If someone owns and routinely drives more than one vehicle, the interlock device, sometimes called a blood alcohol breathalyzer or a car breathalyzer, must be installed on all of them. The length of time it must be kept in place is up to 2 years and depends on the individual case and how many previous convictions the person has, if any.

How It Works

When someone is ready to drive a vehicle with the interlock device in it, they must first breathe into the device. It does not matter if they are person convicted of a FL DUI or not. After 5 minutes, the device will beep. Within 3 minutes, the driver will have to breathe into it again. The same individual must provide the retest sample every time or the device will register a violation. The interlock device will randomly beep for a retest every 15 minutes to half hour. Every time a breathe sample is given, data is recorded and electronically sent to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Limitations

The standard violation limit for the car breathalyzer is .05 blood alcohol content (BAC). It can be adjusted by a court order if the judge is inclined to do so. If the breathe sample is over .05, the vehicle will not start. If the individual does not breathe a sample below .05 for the 5 minute retest, the vehicle will register as a violation. The device will reset for an original sample after 4 hours. Any vehicle in violation must be brought in to an authorized service center to be reset.

Installation

The ignition interlock device must be installed by an authorized service center. The $70 installation fee is accompanied by a $100 deposit, which is refundable. Each month, the vehicle must be taken to the service center for calibration and monitoring at a cost of $67.50. These checks are done by appointment only. The service should take less than an hour to complete.