Voluntary Installation of Ignition Interlock Devices Increasingly Common for Parents of Young Drivers

All across the nation, states are instituting new car breathalyzer laws aimed are reducing the number of DUI drivers who repeat their crime. These laws are especially prudent, as drivers involved in fatal crashes with .08% blood alcohol content or more were more than six times more likely to have a previous DUI than not.

But these popular ignition interlock devices, which have a proven track record of keeping drunk drivers off of the road, are finding a wider application as more and more people opt to voluntarily install one into their vehicles.

This trend has been particularly pronounced among parents of teenagers, who are worried about the consequences a possible youthful indiscretion can have. Here are the top reasons to consider voluntarily installing an ignition interlock cup in your teen’s car.

Safety

The most obvious reason to install one of these systems is to help ensure your child’s safety. Teenagers often suffer from the belief that they are immortal and that their actions will be free of any consequence.

Additionally, teenagers who might be experimenting with alcohol for the first time might be unfamiliar with the way it interacts with their body. Knowing this, parents might decide to take steps to limit the ways their children might engage in risky behavior.

Peace of Mind

If you are the type of parent that worries after your child late into the evening, installing a car breathalyzer can go a long way to reducing your stress. While there are certainly workarounds, more often than not simply failing a breathalyzer is a good wake-up call for teens, and can help them keep out of trouble.

Protect Their Future

While your child may not realize it, the effects of a DUI will follow them for the rest of their life. A DUI can show up on your child’s background checks for years into the future, preventing them from receiving college funding and housing, and have a tremendous effect on their employability. They will also face significantly steeper insurance rates if they can qualify at all.

Ignition interlock devices have done wonders to reduce the number of repeat DUIs. For many parents, the broader applications of this life-saving technology have even more value.