Ignition Interlock Devices in Rockville

In Maryland, an ignition interlock device is a device that is put on a person’s vehicle that they have to blow into in order to start their vehicle. It is usually put on a vehicle to get an alcohol reading before the car will start. Someone who has been charged with a DUI in Rockville may be penalized by being required to have an ignition interlock device installed on their vehicle. Speak with a Rockville DUI lawyer to learn more about potential penalties following a DUI charge.

When Ignition Interlock Devices Are Necessary

There are many reasons for having an ignition interlock device installed in your vehicle. The first is when the Motor Vehicle Administration mandates that an ignition interlock device be on your vehicle. When somebody in Rockville gives an alcohol level content of .15 or higher, or refuses to take the chemical breath test altogether, one of the modifications to the suspension of their driver’s license that the Motor Vehicle Administration will consider is participation in their ignition interlock program. It usually lasts for 12 months. You must have the device placed on your vehicle and have to blow into that device to start your vehicle during that 12-month period.

Other times that an ignition interlock device would need to be installed in your vehicle would be when you are in court and the judge found that the facts of your case warranted that you participate in the ignition interlock program. Additionally, you can decide that it was appropriate for you to have an ignition interlock device on your car. For instance, someone has developed a dependence on alcohol and is not certain they can maintain that dependence might be interested in installing an ignition interlock device as an added assurance that they won’t make a mistake they know they’ll regret later down the line.

In Rockville, children whose parents are involved after they have gotten a DUI arrest will sometimes have interlock devices installed in their cars due to the urging of their family to make sure that they don’t find themselves in a circumstance like this again. Most clients would not want to have an ignition interlock device on their car because of the expense that it carries, the potential embarrassment that is associated with having a device on your car and the lack of convenience. People do not choose it as their first priority in most circumstances. When they refused a

Breathalyzer Test, or have given an alcohol concentration level of above .15 and cannot accept the suspension since they must drive, people don’t have another option but to get the ignition interlock device installed on their cars. Many people do exercise that option.

Usage and Prices in Rockville

Ignition interlock devices are considered a nuisance by people in Rockville because in some situations they can be extremely cumbersome. But more than that, they can be embarrassing when you have a passenger in the car with you, such as a client or a co-worker, since that person will see that you have to blow into a device in order to start your vehicle.

It can impact your family members as well. Even though they might not have any alcohol related offenses against them, if they want to drive your vehicle which is equipped with an ignition interlock device, they are going to be forced to blow into that device.

If you have failures in your ignition interlock device, those get reported to the ignition interlock company as well as to the Motor Vehicle Administration. The Motor Vehicle Administration, if they had ordered this device to be on your car, will potentially take action against you in a negative way if there are readings of alcohol on your breath when you were trying to start your vehicle.
It can be expensive to have an ignition interlock device depending on what your affordability level is. There is going to be an installation fee for putting the device on your car and then there is going to be a monthly maintenance fee for having the device on your vehicle. Various programs throughout the county are available for people to install the ignition interlock device on their car. They all have varying price ranges, as well. It is important to shop around to make sure that you find the one that works best for your affordability.

Usually to have the ignition interlock device on your car for the entire period, which is usually about a year, can cost over $1000.

Length of the Ignition Interlock Program

Usually the period that you need to have an ignition interlock device in your car if it is ordered by the court or the Motor Vehicle Administration is 12 months at the very minimum and could last up to 5 years if the case is being handled by the Circuit Court for Montgomery County.
If a person is electing to put the ignition interlock device on their car, and it is not something that is court ordered but rather something that they are doing as a safety precaution for themselves, there is not any particular advised period of time that they need to have the device on their car before they can take it off.

Other Alcohol Monitoring Devices in Rockville

Sometimes there is a SCRAM Device, which is a device that can be kept on a person’s body either on their wrist or on their ankle that can measure for alcohol content when a person is ordered not to be drinking. However, when it comes to DUIs the most common device that is going to be used is an Ignition Interlock Device.

How a Rockville DUI Lawyer Can Help

A DUI attorney in Rockville can help you find the right program and help you debate with either the Motor Vehicle Administration or the court system on how long a period of time that ignition interlock device needs to be on your car. Given the expenses as well as the embarrassment that an ignition interlock device may carry with it, people would like to have it put on their vehicle for a shorter period rather than a longer period of time. An attorney can help you negotiate with the court system.