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Common mistakes with Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Devices (BAIID)

On Behalf of | Jun 1, 2021 | DUI Defense | 0 comments

Dealing with the consequences of a drunk driving charge or conviction can be frustrating. It can be incredibly challenging when the court orders you to have an ignition interlock device (BAIID) installed on your vehicle. You may also need a BAIID if you receive a statutory summary suspension of your license and you are eligible for a monitoring device driving permit.

While the mechanism is quite simple, there are a few ways that you could have a surprisingly positive result from your BAIID, leaving you unable to drive your car.

These are some of the most common mistakes people make with their BAIID and how you can avoid them.

The next morning

It happens fairly often. A driver has an interlock device installed, but they decide to spend an evening having a few drinks. Fortunately, the driver made plans not to drive right after drinking but did not consider the following day. The driver gets into the car, blows into the interlock and it indicates the presence of alcohol in their system.

If you have a BAIID on your vehicle and want to spend an evening drinking, you should make a plan for a ride. Remember that rates for metabolizing drinks are averages, and you may have a different experience based on your body, what you’ve eaten, and your specific circumstances.

Startup season

During the winter, you might be in the habit of starting your car, so it has a chance to warm up before you hit the road. While this works for other situations, it does not work with a BAIID.

In addition to needing to complete a test before you can start your vehicle, your BAIID will also alert you for random tests. For these tests, you have a short time to pull over and take a new breath test before continuing on your way. If your car is warming up outside, you could get (and miss) an alert for a random test and trigger a failure.