New Jersey Approves Ignition Interlock

Posted & filed under Auto Safety, DUI, New Jersey Car Insurance.

It’s not as bad as making them buy special insurance for dui drivers, but drunken drivers in the state of New Jersey should be more careful, because on Monday, January 11th, both houses of the New Jersey legislature, the Senate and the Assembly, passed a new bill requiring some first-time DUI motorists to have ignition interlock devices installed in their cars.

According to an article posted in the Insurance Journal, the new law, which was passed with overwhelming approval before being sent on to Governor Jon Corzine for his signature, will require first-time drunk drivers who have a blood alcohol level of 0.15 percent or higher to have the device installed in their cars. The ignition interlock is designed to prevent vehicles from starting until the driver has exhaled into a Breathalyzer-like device, and been found to be sober. 0.15 percent is almost twice the state “legal driving limit” of 0.8 percent.

These devices are already required for repeat DUI offenders; under the new legislation, judges now have the option of sentencing first-time DUI convicts to six months to a year of ignition interlock, after their licenses have been restored.