Law now requires ignition interlocks in DUI convictions
Nevada motorists convicted of DUI who want to reinstate their driving privileges must now, in most cases, install an ignition interlock device on any vehicle they operate, under a law that took effect this month.
The Breathalyzer-type device measures blood-alcohol levels and won’t allow the vehicle to start if the reading is over the legal limit to drive.
The device is equipped with a camera to make sure the convicted motorist is actually the one blowing into the mouthpiece, officials said.
Nevada became the 31st state in the U.S. to institute such a law.
Prior to Monday, judges had discretion in ordering installation of the devices. The new law, passed during the 2017 Legislature, makes them mandatory for anyone convicted of DUI.
Drivers convicted of DUI face an automatic license revocation of 90 days and must keep the ignition interlock device on their vehicles for at least 6 months once they start driving again.
In 2017, roughly 2,000 motorists had installed the devices in Nevada, officials said. Under the new law, that number could balloon to more than 10,000 in the next two years.
There are nine vendors in Nevada approved to install the device, which costs drivers $60 to $80 a month. That number also is expected to increase.
Motorists who live more than 100 miles from one of the vendors’ 32 service centers that install the devices are exempt from the law, officials said.
About a third of the 309 traffic fatalities in Nevada last year involved an impaired motorist, officials said.
A study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety concluded that states with similar ignition interlock laws have seen a 16 percent reduction in DUI traffic fatalities.