Question here.....Jan 05 2009 early morning got some gas and donuts and I just got done eating the donut and the rolling test went off and I blew into it and it read .026 and the horn and lights went off,so I freaked out and rinsed my mouth out and within 30 seconds later it told me to blow again and I did,it registered to a .016, after I blew in it and I had to get it serviced in the 5 days.....which I did get it serviced

Is this a violation? Im still driving since this episode and I explained to the interlock company what happened the day it happened.I currently have a restricted license and it up for review in Dec 2009......can they revoke my license,suspend it for this? If anyone has any input on this toppic,please respond.....thanks



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2009 10:54PM by jojo.

What state are you in?

I agree with all that the rolling tests are crazy. It seems like it is constant.
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I have the Smart Start, and have not experienced the troubles that others on this board have. It is a pain, but is seems to work most the time. The main trouble stops are when the truck is being started for the first time in the day. Sometimes it will fail MANY times before it gets a good sample.
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With tax and a $5 insurance it comes to $81 per month. I am in WA State.

I just got the smartstart installed on my vehicle. I'm terrified of it. I used it once to get home from the installer day before yesterday and haven't driven since. I have a personal breathalyzer that I'll be using to pretest and on the nights I know I'll have a few drinks I have a plan B so that I don't have to drive at all the next day.

Heres my concern: The installer said that if I don't drive it (every month I have to take it to him for a download of info) then I'll look like I'm driving another vehicle and "cheating". But I hardly drive to begin with (hate it and it's scary now that I got my first ever slightest degree DUI--I'm paranoid whenever I see a cop or get into heavy traffic because if I get a moving violation I get my license taken away for 3 months).

I use public transportation because I work at a university and our president has asked employees not to drive because there isn't enough parking and we are trying to go "green" on campus. He gives us a free bus pass so that we don't drive. I only drive to my yoga sessions and to the store anyway; both are about 4 miles from my house (smaller city). So I use the bus or ride my bike a lot. The way I figure it I can go almost anywhere I need to without having to take a rolling retest (when I drove home from the installer I didn't get asked to take a rolling retest till I pulled into my garage). The installer told me it would ask every 15-30 minutes for one.

My question is, if I drive very little can I get in trouble? That's like saying you are guilty until proven innocent and also how can I get in trouble when the DMV doesn't know what my driving habits were before I got this thing? I checked our revised statutes for my state and don't see any law on the books for minimum mileage when you have an IID. I live in Arizona.

Anyway, any advice or thoughts? I'm so scared my stomach is in knots and I can't believe I've been branded with this scarlet letter. This is my first ever offense--ever. I'm not a repeat offender or do I have a previous record. I'm in my 40s. I'm so glad I found this site because I feel like the biggest loser ever because I got this one DUI. I stay at home now, don't interact with my community and can't get by the shame and humiliation of this.

Rivgirl:

On its website, Smart Start claims "Alcohol specific; no false positives." However, we all know that this is not true. There are numerous problems with ignition interlock devices. In my law practice, I have seen numerous cases of false positive alcohol readings which were triggered by either contamination or malfunction. Interlock devices are not breathalyzers and they were never intended to be used as evidential breath test devices. Interlock program administrators afford IID readings far too much credibility. However, not regularly driving an interlock equipped vehicle may raise the eyebrow of the agency which administers the interlock program in your state.

Smart Start reports driving data to interlock program administrators and it will state whether the vehicle usage falls within a "normal driving pattern." If it looks like the vehicle is not being driven enough, you may be accused of driving another non-interlock equipped car. In such circumstances, the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Massachusetts might deny removal of the device and require the IID user to serve more time with the interlock. I recommend that you write a letter to the state agency which administers the program and explain your driving situation. Taking this proactive step may prevent future problems. You should also review your state's interlock regulations. Best of luck and remember, you are not alone. Thousands of drivers across the country struggle with the interlock device on a daily basis.

Attorney Brian E. Simoneau
161 Worcester Road, Suite 200
Framingham, MA 01701
508-656-0057
508-302-0212 (fax)
[www.suspendedlicensehelp.com]
E-mail: brian@simoneau.com
Twitter: briansimoneau

thank you for being here..it takes people like you to fight these b*stards..!..these laws from MADD are illegal too..!..the equipment is junk too..!...we need to fight this company and have everyone of them jailed for ruining the lives of decent americans,because of their deceit..!..

i don't know how they keep sneaking these laws in,but something is real wrong here...and they are now using tax money for funding..!...they need to be held accountable..!

thank you

Bread, donuts and other food in dentures etc, cause false positives!!!!!!!

Here are a few other causes of false positives: flavored coffee, a cinnamon bun, protein bars, sugarless gun (containing sorbitol), mouthwash, toothpaste, cough syrup, cough drops, hand sanitizer (contains 67% alcohol), anti-freeze (contains glycol), windshield washer fluid (it contains alcohol to prevent it from freezing, it gets sucked into the passenger compartment by the defroster, the driver unknowingly inhales the vapors and breathes into the IID.)

I also had a case where an interlock user had a slowly leaking can of fix-a-flat under his seat. The driver would inhale the fix-a-flat fumes and take rolling re-tests, which falsely showed alcohol. Like many other interlock users, he passed the initial start tests but failed rolling re-tests

These are just a few examples of the many chemicals and substances which will trigger false positive alcohol readings.

Attorney Brian E. Simoneau
161 Worcester Road, Suite 200
Framingham, MA 01701
508-656-0057
508-302-0212 (fax)
[www.suspendedlicensehelp.com]
E-mail: brian@simoneau.com
Twitter: briansimoneau

i have had lifesaver for 7 months and had my first failed reading and lock-out, my interlock company said that it was a false positive and to wait a few minutes , i missed my app. , so i decided to not go anywhere and later drove to pick up my daughter from work, i was fine , is this considered a violation, i also rinsed with listerine and i think that is what caused my lockout

Sounds like a error in the system and if you told the technician when it was serviced they should have addressed it then.

I have had my smart start for about three weeks now and everything was going fine. I drive about 300 miles a day.
I am 150 miles from home and it just stopped working no display or anything been waiting on tech for bout four hours
he said he would bring a new unit out and that should fix the problem. In the mean time I lost $400 of work. Asked who
reimburse me my loss he tried to tell me it was probably me vehicles fault. I have a 2008 one ton dually havnt had any
problems until this was installed. Should I pay for his trip and hotel stay I think not. I also have to get a room and try and
recoop from today's loss. Thinking of having it removed and taking my chances can't afford to take to many losses like this
every month.

Ack. Not even two months into this torture and problems. My IID simply s topped working on my way home from yoga last week. It's been harder and harder to start in the a.m. during the past 3-4 weeks and asks me to test about every 7". During my first calibration I complained. The tech said he got a bad batch and to come in and he'd replace it. When I called to make an appt 3 weeks ago he didn't have replacement equipment. I decided to just tough it out and get it all replaced when I went in again for my monthly download.

Last wednesday I left my yoga practice. It asked me to test to start the car. I did, it aborted, again and again. After about the 4th try, it started and passed me. Then it asked me to test twice in 5 miles. I passed the first, it asked for a second, and wouldn't read the test. Kept asking to blow and then began to countdown, which caused me to sweat and scream: I was blowing as usual, and it wasn't picking up the read. It wasn't saying abort, it wasn't beeping, it wasn't doing anything!!!!

I finally got home and shut off the car. The car won't start because it won't read anything--not a pass, nothing. I called the 800 folks; they were no help at all. I called the local tech the next day and he said to unhook the head unit and bring it in for an exchange. Hopefully the new one will start the car and I can come in for a down load and exchange the whole thing since the only he installed originally sucks.

In the meantime, I was w/o a car for two days no fault of my own since the tech admitted he installed a faulty device originally. Not my fault I tried to come in and get it replaced and he didn't have any replacement equipment. I was out of state for four days and this morning I checked the battery to see if I had lights, knowing that the new battery installed on my honda last year should be good. No lights, no battery. Now I have to get a ride to trade in the head unit, connect a new one, jump the car, drive the car to the tech, get a download and a complete reinstall of the whole thing.

I have NO VIOLATIONS on this thing and am not going to get any. It's my big FU to the state of Arizona for making me do this at all: not all of us need them. I told the tech I had a perfect record and wanted to keep it that way. He said if it was an equipment failure, I should be okay and he'd note it in my file.

I'm frustrated, sick, tired. Tired of being hypervigilant about starting my car and using a handheld pretest--it takes 5-7" to get through my routine. I just read the post where if you are thought not to be driving enough you are guilty and not proved innocent of driving another vehicle. I drive about 300 miles a month because I live in a small town and live only 4 miles from work and the store. And of course I am driving less and getting all errands done quickly and effiecently because I hate to drive now.

Thoughts? My IID is a smartstart, I thought they were one of the best out of a bad lot.

@ stuckinalexandria...

Yes, I had the same problem where the device just shut off on me. Was dropped from college courses because this happened the first day, and some were classes that only come around once a year. So this incident put me behind a whole FU***** year. I eventually quit when I saw how stuck I got. I also missed work and after that the device that got installed takes so long that one day I almost got robbed and I was not able to do anything because my car has to wait about 45 seconds until the "pass" prompt shows up. I was also blamed for the happenings. And so was my vehicle which I never had a problem with before. And now the problems are happening again and there isn't even a person to talk to like their "24/7 service talk to a real person" ad on their website.

But we have to stand up against this company and scam. I had one DUI for my 22 birthday. I drink about 4 times a year. Yes, four times a year, and when I say drink I mean half a beer most of the time. I really can't even finish one. So I messed up once for my birthday and now am looked down on and belittled by this company.

We have to stand up to it.

i have had 2 false positives in first month. false positive happened afyter successful start. rolling retest gave me a -.02 without intervening food or drink. so they lie about no false positives. Can this be challenged?

LWells, when you ask "can this be challenged," do you mean at an ignition interlock violation hearing or with Smart Start?

Brian

I'm just wondering who out there pre-tests with a handheld breathalyzer before starting your car? I do, and so far am able to rinse my mouth out when my hand held shows .02 or more, then re-test on it a few minutes later and watch it go to .00. It's helped me keep from getting violations, so far. I had to pay $70 for it but so far it's well worth it.

Here's a link to a recent story about SmartStart in Arizona and a complaint about w/h information to AZ MVD, thereby keeping those who need to appeal their violations from doing so in a timely manner and ultimately causing them to have to have their IIDs on longer. The customer said he had it show a false positive eating a doughnut, a piece of pizza or drinking a Starbucks; knowing that, I'm vowing simply not to eat anything yeasty or really sweet till I've completed my 12 month period if I plan on driving in the next 24 hours. It's worth it. Anyway here's the link to the story.

[m.azfamily.com]

Moved.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2010 12:29AM by Bradley232.

Just got the Smart Start installed on my truck this morning and got royally screwed by the technician, first two blows in the thing I got a violation! Then the tech asks if I've had anything to drink? It's 9am and of course I have'nt I replied. I told him I had 2 beers lastnight!
So, what, I have to completely stop drinking because of this thing? Anyways, just curious what type of breathalyzer you found. I just started looking around and found em in all price ranges and not sure which one to grab. Thanks

After being struck by a drunk driver, who then ran and had to be chased down. I can't say I feel much pity for peoples trouble with these devices. I agree they should be more accurate if they are going to impact you. But really, next time you should just get a cab, instead of drive drunk. I use a personal breathalyzer to make sure I can't get a violation before driving after any drinking.

s0v3r1gn,

How do you feel about people who run red lights? My daughter got hit by a reckless driver running a red light. She was injured and her car was totalled. The driver didn't spend one day in jail, nor did they get their license revoked for three months, nor did they get a big brother device on their car for a year to keep them from endangering other people when they chose to run a light rather than make the right choice and think of others on the road. My DUI--one--first and last one--was a victimless crime, yet I'm now ostracized by my community for seven years or more, if I can't come up with the $$$ to expunge my dui from the record. Do you see some hypocrisy here? How many times do you talk on your cell phone and drive? Research proves that talking on a cell phone carries the same risk to other drivers as driving while .08 (legally drunk in most states). Proslytizing on this site is probably a waste of your time.

All I can find anywhere is how the companies and the states refuse to admit that these are "MECHANICAL DEVICES" and that even if a 1 in 10,000 or more chance they can't flat out malfunction.... After all they are electronic devices if things didn’t malfunction companies wouldn’t release “NEW AND IMROVED” and we would not have the words or fraises like “REPAIR or FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT PRESS _” in our vocabulary. By not reflecting documentation that false readings by a unit can be a flat out malfunction of said unit and always only due to operator error, not only do the states but the companies providing the units stand to make A HUGE FINANCIAL GAIN....

My husband has had a BAIID in his car since Oct.2009 and up until Feb. 5th 2010 had never has a "False Positive BAC". Not only did the new unit in his car give "FALSE BAC's" it provided a DATA DOWNLOAD LOG that did not reflect the same readings he was provided. After calling and calling and calling Consumer Safety Technology that something was wrong with unit while also explaining to them that had car looked at and that made a doctor’s appointment for my husband, they agreed to send out a new unit. (Of course that also was done after I explained that I would be calling EVERY SINGLE TIME A FALSE READING IS GIVEN and hope they like my voice as they would be hearing it A LOT) The new unit arrived Feb. 12, 2010 and NOT ONE FALSE BAC SINCE!!!!

However they sent the Log to the state we were told without even testing the unit as there was no need 'NOTHING WRONG WITH UNIT, IT DETECTED ALCOHOL AND NOTHING ELSE WE HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT BE TESTING IT AND HE WILL HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO THE STATE THE READING'S AS HE IS REPONSIBLE FOR ALL POSITIVE BAC READINGS." the same type of crap we heard while trying to get it replaced..

Only after not dropping the subject did they test the unit....and even though they have cleared him of the BAC's over .050 which the state looks at AND found CORROSION on the UNITS LEADS they claim unit working properly and that all the other readings are legit as well as the readings over the .050 level, though those readings were not consistent with use of alcohol which is why they cleared it with them with the state.
Now after the company has changed its story a few times back and forth as to the finding or none finding of corrosion they now claim a small amount but that "THE CORROSION IF ANYTHING WOULD HAVE PRODUCED A DIMINISHED BAC NOT AN EVEVATED BAC."

Yet we aren't only talking about the BAC level anymore as that same unit provided a readout BAC level's, we didn't even know, higher than the reading unit provided him while testing for the same date and time until the state violation letter arrived. Also they claim that the data log the unit provided them showed that on Friday Feb.5th a little after 8:00pm he started the car with a BAC of .000 and had a rolling test fail of .012 at around 8:15 or so and that BAC of .012 during the rolling test resulted in an "Immediate shut down of vehicle at 8:23pm with no restart until next day" This also is flat out not true.........We live approximately 8 miles from the public recreational center my family was swimming at that night and though we left between 8:15 and 8:20 he started the car with the .012 and had a rolling test of .000 on the way home... And being that home is about 8 miles or so from that recreational center not under any circumstances would it had been possible for us to get home in 5 or 8 minutes. Yet even more evidence that the unit was "FLAT OUT MALFUNCITONING NOT ONLY WITH THE BAC LEVELS BUT ALSO WITH THE DATA LOGGING AS WELL. Making us believe that the unit has more things wrong than the "small amount of corrosion on two leads" After all corrosion is is caused by water or extreme humidity and those same things can cause a multidude of electric issues in anything mechanical.. Hense -- cell phones for instance everyone somewhere knows someone that has had one start working acting up - doing funny things -- or flat out stop working... To find out when either taken to their provider or sending it in found not covered because the little hidden white dot is now pink so your fault since proof it got wet! Well its the same darn thing only we don't have the PINK DOT TO PROVE IT"

Why is it that we as consumers the only ones that have to provide any kind of “WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION” when it comes to responding to Interlock Violations? Yet even when confirming verbally “CORROSION FOUND THAT CAUSED UNIT TO PROVIDE MISSLEADING BAC READINGS” they not only REFUSE BUT HAVE NO INCENTIVE TO PROVIDE SUCH WRITTEN DOCUMENTION BACK?

I was recently given a notice of suspension for forgetting about using mouthwash befor I blew (1 year) added on to the 2 years of interlock only suspension I already have for refusal. I requested one of their unconstitutional DMV hearings and luckily the hearing officer was intelligent enough to realize that when I told her that mouthwash set it off, and that it went from a .025 to .00 in about two minutes, that I was telling the truth. Whew! I have a brand new Harley I am paying for and cannot ride for another 16 months, if my license had been suspended another year, I might have had to pull a Joe Stack on the DMV office! LOL

I took my car to the dealership in February for service before my warranty expired and they left the car in idle and recorded a violation for me. It's now four days away from May and I'm still waiting on my hearing date. After 8 months of success on my part, last night I earned a second violation for leaving the car in idle while filling up on gas and using the restroom. My family was sleeping in the car, but my spouse stepped out because the gas was overflowing. When I got back inside, the alarm was going off and my two year old daughter was crying frantically. I had just bought a brand new motorcycle prior to my DUI, and I can't even ride it--for what looks like now--the next 2+ years!

I took my car to the dealership in February for service before my warranty expired and they left the car in idle and recorded a violation for me. It's now four days away from May and I'm still waiting on my hearing date. After 8 months of success on my part, last night I earned a second violation for leaving the car in idle while filling up on gas and using the restroom. My family was sleeping in the car, but my spouse stepped out because the gas was overflowing. When I got back inside, the alarm was going off and my two year old daughter was crying frantically. I had just bought a brand new motorcycle prior to my DUI, and I can't even ride it--for what looks like now--the next 2+ years!

I had the same situation and wondering the same thing, if ANYONE has had any good or Bad hearing storeis on this same subject please give us some details...

Here is my issue:

Dec 20th, I leave my house (no alchol in months) its Sunday, my movie starts at 3:15. So im headed down the road, half way there, only 5 miles away I pull into a Gas station, I have an old 1971 Toyota Landcruiser, I open the door and grab the glass cleaner to clean my windows since it was snowing a few days ago. At this point my car is still running with the doors open, not thinking about the Gas fumes probably filling my car up, So the Interlock starts going off (Monitech Interlock Systems- In North Carolina) so I blow, and get a warning light, it resets a minute later, and I blow again, so now Im locked out for 30 minutes...so I close all my doors and sit...
At this point its now 2:53pm, Im now going to be late for my movie, I call the Interlock company for service, thinking there is something wrong with my machine and I will be stuck. I had to leave my number for a return call, I guess its a pager system for weekends. Now my 30 minutes went by and I get to blow again, and it starts right up. Now that Im on my way I get a phone call from the service guys and I told them that I got back up and running...

Now its a month or 2 later and I get a letter in the mail saying im getting my license suspended for another year, damn, I only had 3 more months to go and I get some BS like this in my mail box...

Here is what I have done so far...
I got the log files from the Interlock Company, shows that first blow was .00 at the house leaving, then .1 at the gas station followed immediatly with a .053....then the 30 minutes later .00 when I head on to the movies....by the way I made it to the movies, just missed the begining a bit.

Now I also got my phone logs from the cell phone comany showing the time stamp to them a 3:17pm where I made the call to Monitech, along with my ticket to the movies at 3:38pm, also have a map quest of the route I took

Certainly the hearing officers should see the pattern here right?

I hope so Funkeytaste! our situation was a little different in that my husband had at start of car blew .000 with a rolling test of .000 and while still driving with no stops blew a .152 20 minutes after a .000 and then a reset of .127 5 minutes later to a second retest of .012 ..... His unit had also been having many other false readings inwhich he hadn't done anything -- not gas fill up -- not food --- no coffee with cream or milk -- and espeacially NO ALCOHOL. And how the hell would someone go from .000 to a .152 in 20 minutes while driving that would be about 7.25 beers for my husband and then be what unit and state would consider almost nothing within 15 minutes YET the state still sent the Violation Letter.

Since our problem was the unit itself having what was found to be corrosion somewhere within it they cleared him of the violations over .05 but are still claiming that the unit even with the corrosion found was given correct and acurate BAC levels. We can't get them to clear him of all the readings --- he had that malfunctioning unit for one week until I became such a pain in the ARRRRS that they replaced it... NOT ONE FALSE POSITIVE SINCE or before that one unit.

Also I guess when you test the results caculate very quickly this one unit would sometimes take up to 5 minutes to process results and also didn't provide the same BAC levels at time my husband did the test as it did in the log downloaded when returned!!!!!!! The log downloaded had HIGHER BAC LEVELS...... So if my husband ever gets another false positive result he will grab his camera phone and take a quick photo to document the BAC reading on unit.

I'm not sure what state you are in we are in Illinois and Consumer Safety Technology supplies his units.

has he gone to court over this yet? or had the hearing...would like to hear the out come...I go to court next month and Im freaked out, went to 3 attorneys and got crazy quotes...just for a damn hearing, I dont that kind of money to give them and I know damn well I should have a good case, the DMV put way to much stock in these interlock systems

Yeah sorry I haven't been back with an update--
Consumer Safety Technology cleared my husband of the False Positives provided by what they determined to be caused by CORROSION on internal leads of the Interlock itself!! However even thought they have stated now on the phone more than once to that CORROSION being found they nor the State of Illinois will put that in writing. I had contacted FOX NEWS CHICAGO Investigative Team a while ago and they have since confirmed that they are running the story on not just how these units get false BAC's from simple everyday things people eating or drinking non-alcohol or even how sitting in heavy traffic or breathing while pumping gas can all cause issues. As well as how some of the devices like my husbands are FLAT OUT MALFUNCTIONING!!!!! They were also interested in how according to everything you hear from state governments, BAIID companies, law enforcement, MADD and anyone else that believes in the DAMN things say that 'THEY ONLY DETECT ALCOHOL AND NOTHING ELSE YOUR FAULT YOU ARE DRINKING IF IT GIVES A POSITIVE BAC!" Yet every study or instruction manual for or regarding these units CLEARLY STATE OTHERWISE!

Well the story is tentatively set to air Thursday May 6th, 2010, on the 6pm on MYFOXNEWS CHICAGOnews. Larry Yellen is their Legal Analyst doing the story!

I say we all lobby to have these devices installed in EVERY GOVERMENT OWNED VEHICLE!! It won't take but a few months (if that) for them to say we need these things removed ASAP! Our employee's are getting false readings, they malfunction (among other things) and don't forget how they when they are screwing up how the governments will complain about how these devices are slowing down response time in critical situations and again we need them removed ASAP for public safety!!!!

All the while in the same breath stating how these Interlocks only detect ALCOHOL nothing else and NEVER MALFUNCTION while in the general public vehicles!!!!!!!

I live in North Carolina so I probably wont get a chance to see it unless someone post it on Youtube. I contacted my local DMV and they told me not to worry about it, that most of the time these first time fail readings people get a warning, but, this is the lady at the DMV, not a hearing officer, although she did state that this information has been coming from the hearing officers. But, I blew a .053 on a rolling retest, and a .1 on the second blow which was a minute later, that would mean I would have been drunk, then 30 min later I blew 0.0. I dont know what to do, lawyers are asking for $2000 to represent me....for a hearing! I dont know about most of you but I dont have two thousand dollars just laying around for something like this, that is not even alcohol related, hell I dont even drink since I got the damn DUI, why in the hell 9 months with having this interlock in my car would I drink and drive.....and as it seems drink after I started the car...lol

Im going to fight this with everything I have, its nuts, we all pay big money to have this damn thing in our car, its a great Idea it it does what it should do..

I will say this though, In Feb I had a newer version installed, the machine talks to me, all I do is put in my code (4 digits) and start the car right up, I dont even have to worry about it warming up. The last interlock took the act of jesus to start the damn car up, from sitting there 20 minutes to sometimes an hour trying to get this damn thing to read correctly, it took 9 months before it read fail on the rolling retest, and Im lucky it was just once, and I know for fact it was the gasoline that was filling up my vehicle that made this rolling retest go off I really cant find any way to prove it, there is no information out there about how gasoline fumes react. With the newer models like I have now it will minimize the chances of reading the fails caused by gasoline but everyone else that has the older versions are going to get the same results I did with no way to defend themselves..

I will post back with what happens with my case as well, people need to be supportive here and explain the things they did so we can figure out a way to justify our case when it happens to others

Best of Luck Funckytaste!! I hope you can get a reasonable hearing officer... I will try and get it up on either YouTube or get the link to the MyFoxNews link from there site up here for you. Right now my husband and I are scheduled to be in that report (Blacked out-you can understand) but we haven't been able to get the in person interview time that works for them and us! But I do know that one of the best DUI lawyers in the county that fights this kind of stuff all the time and even went in front of the IL Supreme Court with a case was interviewed for it yesterday. I will be doing whatever it takes to have the states using these to be a little more open to the issues people have with these things!!!! I was someone who thought "THESE ARE GREAT if you got a positive you drank or did something wrong" person---- I still kind of think the thought behind these is good but the problems seem to out way the benefits to the user.. After all if people can't fill their car with gas or sit in traffic because fumes they are breathing can set of a positive BAC they need to be looked at more carefully. I actually found legislation for a state that states that the BAIID devices used there "must be able to difference between actual Alcohol intake and other sources that can cause BAC levels" Had to laugh since after about 300 hours of research there is NOT ONE INTERLOCK unit that can do that. I forgot that just last week while myself, both kids and my husband were driving to my mom’s about 45 minutes into drive and after a start of .000 and 2 rolling tests of .000 he blew a .012!!! Then another .000 before arriving. And nothing was different from the first 3 tests he hadn't done anything other than drive not a sip of anything not a nibble of anything no perfume sprayed or gas fill up just blew .012. These things are just screwy! Again if I ever find anything that can help someone I will get it out here! If you would like here is my email hcokinis@hotmail.com that way we can follow up with what’s going on faster and if I find anything that can help I can get to you faster...

I won't give up on this subject even after out of my husband’s car! If a mom who loses a child to drunk driving can start MADD... By the way MADD makes money on these units, with large donations from manufactures, and pushed them into use while helping hide the problems with them. A wife whose husband could have lost everything because can also find a way to help fight how they work and the "YOUR INSTANTLY GUITLY ATTITUDE THAT COMES WITH HAVING ONE GIVE A POSITIVE BAC LEVEL! I just hope that people watch next week and understand most of us don't think programs like these should go away totally just looked at better while requiring better (if any at this point) regulations on what and how they determine the BAC levels.
.

holly,

You know how a person can go from .000 to .15 in 15 mins.? They will say that someone sober blew to get the car started, and that the person driving was under the influence,and hoping to make it home before a rolling test.

Did you get the Video Holly? Please share it if you can, thanks again

Unfortunately, I think I am going to be joining this group. A few days ago I was pulled over for suspected DUI. I refused the breath test and since I refused one almost exactly 4 years ago I am facing 1 year suspension instead of 120 days! This is just plain wrong folks. When i had my day in court back in 2006 the state dropped all the charges against me due to insufficient evidence....but just because of that I had to see the ALJ and she would not waiver on the 120 day suspension. Nobody could even prove I was behind the wheel in the pouring down rain and they still charged me with all this and took my license.

Fast forward, and now I am in a deep mess again for refusing to submit to the BAC test. Has anyone here had their insurance rates go up while participating in this program as a result of the restriction? Due to the length of suspension I am facing it probably makes sense for me to participate and pay the fees, but I can't afford to pay all these fees and pay crazy high insurance. If my insurance is going to skyrocket I am thinking I might just 'bite the bullet' on the one year suspension, exclude myself from the policy (married), and ride it out until I can get reinstated.

I know I could have made some different decisions here, but for god sakes this is going to ruin my life completely and all I was doing wrong was driving a little too slow!

I have had an interlock on my car since Sept. '09. I had to switch from State Farm to Progressive because I am now required to carry an SR22. I raised my deductible from $250-$500 and my insurance went up around $16/month. I paid the one time SR22 filing fee which was around $25 and it just stays on my insurance until I ask for it to be removed. I paid for the 6 months in advance and was worried it would increase once my insurance was to be renewed again but it didn't. I reported the DUI when I first got the insurance quote and when it was renewed it was on my record from the DMV. I pay around $70/month for the IID. There are plenty of insurance companies you can get quotes from online. I lost my license for a year and get it back next month. The interlock sucks to have but it's better than nothing.

IT Guy,

How old are you? If you have an otherwise clean driving record, you may be suprised with how little a DUI affects your insurance costs. I am 44 & other than this DUI & a few speeding tickets, this is the only thing I've ever had on my driving record. I did get dropped by my insurance company because they don't do SR22's, but I got it replaced with Progessive for the same price I was paying before. My insurance agent said it had a lot to do with my age. Hope this helps with the gloom. I know how that felt!

Mid-thirties. Well, I have had the smart start for a couple of weeks now. Seems to work okay so far...besides the interlock place getting robbed while I was there doing a transfer....everything has been okay....knocking on wood. This aside from the horrible embarrassment of having to blow during rush hour in front of all the cars around you. My last ticket was 7 years ago and I have had 0 point for a while.

My attorney is advising me to go an get this installed and participate. I am scared to death that I am going to sign up, participate for several months, somehow get violated, have paid all these fees, and then still have the original suspension imposed. If I drank once every six months that is a lot for me. I very rarely even drink so I am not worried about having a true positive but rather having false positives or a dead battery resulting in a disconnect violation.

Can anyone here shed more light on what the grievance process is if you receive a violation from the MVA? I see very little information online about the boundaries of this program which leads me to believe that the MVA feels these devices are 100% relaible and we all know they are not. If the agency responsible for enforcement/compliance has this false belief, then my opinion we be that almost everyone in the program is destined to fail.

I have a newer vehicle with a special 'infared' key. On top of that, it is a diesel which must be started within several seconds of the glow plug firing (no spark plugs). If it is not then the vehicle will likely not start when the weather turns cold if there is a long delay between the time I turn on the key and when I can actually activate the ignition. Anyone here using this device on a diesel in cold winter weather?

The only other thought I have is to just get an old used car and sell my newer diesel until program participation is completed. I want to keep my license but it would seem to me after reading most of the comments here that this program is setup to fail almost everyone who participates.

I'm sure every state is different. I'm in Wyoming. When I had the 6 false positives & the interlock had to be exchanged, I called our dept of transportation. That is who requires we have these devices in WY. Our court system here does not control that part of the penalty. But we also have no choice in the matter of whether or not to have one. I found out the DOT here dosn't even read the reports the interlock company sends to them. So, I would suggest you first find out exactly who it is that is requiring you to have this device & then contact them. Maybe you've already done that.

Fox-25 Chicago did a nice story on false positive ignition interlock device readings. It was nice to see that they actually took the time to investigate the issue and produce a decent story. Unfortunately, the media in Massachusetts could care less about the thousands who are suffering with ignition interlock devices which are prone to false positive readings.

Attorney Brian E. Simoneau
161 Worcester Road, Suite 200
Framingham, MA 01701
508-656-0057
508-302-0212 (fax)
[www.suspendedlicensehelp.com]
E-mail: brian@simoneau.com
Twitter: briansimoneau

Yes, these devices cover such a broad band of "alcohol" that they are really mickey mouse. I have an Intoxalock & it sucks as well. I failed 6 rolling retests my 1st 3 weeks & was able to pass all of them within 5 minutes of failing them. I've only drank 3 times since I was arrested & I sure as heck wouldn't try to drink & blow into this stupid thing! Geeez I screwed up & admit I broke the law, but that doesn't mean I'm some kind of idiot hell-bent on drinking & driving. If you call Intoxalock, I swear their operators have a card in front of them that says "The device sensed alcohol". What they don't tell you is darn near every product you use to clean yourself or your vehicle contains alcohol. I had to get a new device after 6 failed retests & of course, it was 3 days before the scheduled recalibration. These things are junk & you just have to look at it like a childish form of punishment. If a judge or politician ever has to have one of these, maybe that will put an end to it. How in the world did Ted Kennedy avoid this?

Has anyone removed the fuse for the horn? I'm just wondering if the stupid device can detect that? If it can't detect the missing fuse, it would be nice to not have the horn go off. I'm just afraid it will record it as tampering & then who knows what - it self destructs or something!

Please advise if anyone has tried this.

Update - after getting my 2nd device (since the first had to be serviced because of 6 failed rolling retests) I haven't had any problems with this one in 2 weeks now. Nothing has changed in my vehicle, so it proves the first one was either a POS or they do this to you on purpose so you have to pay for a new unit before your calibration period is up.

This is a great forum. Thanks for having it! I'm in Iowa. I asked for my attorney's presence in order for me to provide any potentially self-incriminating evidence, such as a BAC sample, but the cop said that since I already had one DUI, the second conviction is automatic. While it was not automatic in court, with the DMV it was. In Iowa, simply being accused by a cop of being drunk is all it takes to force you to either prove, by yourself and without any assistance and to the satisfaction of your accuser, that you are not drunk or lose your license. Losing the license for a period of time is not so bad, especially for someone like me who doesn't like driving and typically doesn't drive, but what seems so incredible is that for a person to ever (yes, ever) get a license again, he or she must own and drive a car with an interlock ignition device on it for a full year. I went through a full two year revocation, thinking that then I would get my license back (most people on a 2nd DUI have to go through a 1 year period of no license, and then for the second year, they get a work permit, which requires the interlock contraption and restricts driving to work purposes. I simply went through the second year, since driving with a deadly dangerous contraption that requires rolling tests in the midst of traffic is something I would never willingly do, and I didn't and don't have to drive for work purposes.). However, the only way to get my license back was to buy a car, get the DEADLY DANGEROUS ignition interlock contraption on it, and then get a friend to drive the car with the DEADLY DANGEROUS contraption on it to the DMV, for me to take all the tests, including a driving test, and then to have the DEADLY DANGEROUS contraption on the car for a year. But since the DEADLY DANGEROUS contraption does in fact draw power from the battery, you must drive. I cannot go about my life as usual not driving. After a couple of months, the battery on the old car died, and the company told me that this would stop the clock for the one year requirement, so I just went and bought a new car and decided I had to drive at least once a week.

This has caused so much trouble, because the latest device I got constantly gives abortions. Previous devices seemed to work fine, but the new one (you have to get a new one every two months) ALWAYS gives at least one abortion at start up, and often gives two consecutive abortions when I'm driving, requiring that I turn off the engine and wait for several minutes to start the whole cycle anew. If I pull over and take the test, and keep myself in exactly one position with just exactly one flow of air and one very limited constant vibration on the mouthpiece, the contraption doesn't abort. But if the car is moving at all, which makes the flow of air and vibration on the device vary the slightest bit, it gives me an abortion. When I called again from the street today and told the guy this, he simply said that never happens, that it was my "technique." Anyway, my real problem with this is that, especially with the random tests when you're in the middle of traffic, this is the MOST DEADLY DANGEROUS thing I have ever had to do in my life. I have had a pretty pampered life, I know, but really, it is not only the MOST DEADLY DANGEROUS thing to me, but to EVERY PERSON AROUND THE CAR. I was almost unable to avoid a lady on her cell phone from crashing into me, when she swerved into my lane, because I was so consumed with the DEADLY DANGEROUS device giving abortions and my needing to cut the motor.

Obviously, this is a corrupt arrangement to make citizens give private companies money and to give the government more taxes (the contraption costs $65 a month, plus other charges, and then there is a 7% tax on this that goes to the government). I say, just let me give you the money without you creating THE MOST DEADLY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS for me and all those around my car. I'll give the $65 a month, plus other charges, and the tax money, just don't make me drive with the DEADLY DANGEROUS contraption. I would so much rather be tied down in the middle of an LA expressway filled up with speeding drivers legally drunk, who are texting their worst enemies, yelling at kids in the back seat to shut up, and fighting off 90 pound dogs off their laps., than have to drive for a full year with this DEADLY DANGEROUS contraption giving abortions while I am trying to drive through traffic. Of course, I would also rather simply go through a period of time -- such as two years, as I did -- without driving at all, than HAVE TO DRIVE one day with such a DEADLY DANGEROUS contraption tripping me up.

We all know that MADD has sold out to the IID industry. What doesn't seem to be so clear is that the politicians have sold out public safety to the industry. The politicians have created the most DEADLY DANGEROUS conditions for the profit of the owners of the iid industry, and done so, perversely, under the name of "safety." How can we get people to understand that these devices are much more dangerous than genuine drunk or sleepy or texting drivers are and that the only reason people are made to use these DEADLY DANGEROUS contraptions is to enrich the beneficiaries of the iid industry? I also want to know how to start something like a support group (I hate that term, but I'll use it for brevity and clarity here) for people who are forced to use this most DEADLY DANGEROUS device, in order to have a driver's license.

Thanks, again, for this forum. It was good to read the stories of others.