An alcohol ignition interlock is a breath test device that measures the prospective driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC) and prevents a drinking driver from starting the vehicle. Ignition interlocks reduce re-arrests (recidivism) for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) offenders by nearly 70% while they are installed. Upon removal of ignition interlocks, recidivism rates are similar to those of offenders who have not had interlocks installed.
In 2008, Florida mandated alcohol abuse treatment for DUI offenders with interlocks, based on the number of high BAC tests that prevented them from starting their cars. Offenders who committed three or more interlock violations were mandated to attend alcohol abuse treatment for 8-12 weeks. A violation was defined as two failed attempts to start the car with a BAC greater than .05% within a 4-hour period.
CDC collaborated with researchers at Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to compare recidivism after the removal of the interlocks of 640 DUI offenders who received alcohol abuse treatment with the control group of 806 similar offenders not mandated to treatment. The offenders in the treatment group experienced 32% lower recidivism compared with the control group during the 1 to 4 year period following the removal of the interlock. Research findings are published in the Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Researchjournal article titled Mandating Treatment Based on Interlock Performance: Evidence for Effectiveness.
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