The United States is a nation of cars, and most Americans own a valid driver’s license and own a car, pickup truck, or motorcycle for commuting and personal transport. Many millions of drivers are on the road every day, and for the most part, these drivers are safe and responsible. But other drivers are reckless, impaired, or distracted on the road, and that can lead to disaster. A drunk driver is likely to break traffic laws, hit other vehicles, and even cause injuries or fatalities, and distracted drivers may be just as dangerous. If a person is convicted of a DUI (driving under the influence), they may face a variety of penalties in court. Their lawyer might argue for the use of interlock devices such as ignition interlock devices, and that may include an interlockcup, too. Nothing is being guaranteed here, but if an accused person gets a good lawyer, they might exchange jail time for a breathalyzer and interlock device in their car, complete with an interlockcup.
Drunk Driving
The bad news is that drunk driving is quite common in the United States, with many thousands of drunk drivers on the road each day. Police officers and state troopers are always vigilant and will pull over drivers who drive erratically, but they typically can’t pull over every single drunk driver because there are so many. Legally speaking, a person is driving drunk if they operate a motor vehicle while they have a BAC, or blood alcohol content, of 0.08% or higher. Some states have an even lower threshold than that. Also, some Americans incorrectly believe that driving “buzzed” is an acceptable alternative, but it is not.
Being drunk on the road means that the driver’s judgment, coordination, and reflexes are impaired heavily, and that makes them dangerous. Such a driver may speed through red lights or stop signs, and swerve right into other cars, pedestrians, cyclists, or property. A drunk driver may cause injuries or fatalities after a crash, which may lead to additional criminal charges. And it may be noted that an arrested driver who drove drunk will face DUI charges even if there was no collision and no harm to property or life. Just being on the road with a high BAC is a serious offense, so the offender may want to find some legal help for their court case.
Lawyers and Solutions
Nothing can be guaranteed here, as every DUI case and every lawyer is different. But in general, someone facing criminal charges such as a DUI may face better odds in court of they have legal help on their side. This person may look up local criminal defense law firms, and some such firms may specialize in DUI cases in particular since they’re so common. The accused may hire a lawyer who appeals to them, and they can build a case together for court.
In court, a lawyer may argue to have some charges against their client changed to lesser ones, or dropped entirely. The lawyer may also argue for lesser penalties, such as trading jail time or massive fines for mandatory rehab sessions and/or having interlock devices installed in the offender’s car.
In many cases, these interlock devices are a fair compromise, as the convict maintains their freedom but cannot operate their vehicle while intoxicated. Once all this hardware is installed, including an interlockcup, the driver must pass a breath test before their car’s ignition can be turned on. This ensures clean driving. During driving, the driver may get an alert that they must pull over and submit another breath test to keep their car running. In most cases, the breathalyzer will give them enough advance warning so they can pull over and submit their breath sample. And why an interlockcup? This is probably optional, but an interlockcup is a simple plastic device disguised as the sort of soft drink cup found in convenience stores. The interlockcup fits over the breathalyzer’s straw-like test tube, so any outside observer will think that the driver is having a drink rather than submitting a breath sample. This keeps the act discreet, as some drivers may be embarrassed to be seen submitting a breath sample for an interlock device.
