There isn’t much that is more tragic than when a drunken driver takes his or her own life behind the wheel, or worse, kills another innocent driver on the road. Unfortunately, DUI offenses are on the rise across America and that has led law enforcement and politicians to ramp up punishments for one of the most common violations in the country.

Law enforcement across the country are ramping up efforts to crackdown on drunken drivers, including utilizing more drunk driving checkpoints (despite their controversial nature) and stopping drivers if they have even an inkling that the person behind the wheel could perhaps be intoxicated. Law enforcement and political leaders are also pushing for stricter penalties for those who do get caught driving under the influence and earn their first (or even second or third) DUI.

Although an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, there are still ways to deal with violators after they have already been convicted of a DUI. Perhaps one of the most effective and popular methods of preventing those with a record of drunken driving from further endangering themselves and others on the road is to require that an ignition interlock system be installed in the offender’s vehicle in order to prevent them from driving drunk in the future.

An ignition interlock, which can be installed at any qualified auto shop (including Fort Collins Foreign Car Service), is a device which is often mandated by law enforcement to be installed at the expense of the offender after a DUI. It essentially puts a breathalyzer into the vehicle and requires the driver to blow into the mouthpiece before the car will start and periodically after the car has been running for a while.

These devices have been proven to discourage drunk driving in those who have already been convicted of a DUI. That means that they can (and have) saved the lives of innocent drivers on the road who may have been threatened by a drunk driver if it weren’t for the ignition interlock device.

As law enforcement crackdown further on drunk driving by increasing penalties for drunk driving behavior, we may see even stricter rules for who must get an ignition interlock device installed on their vehicle.