Reader’s Question:

My cousin has been charged with DWI in Washington, DC and a friend of mine got the same about a year ago. He was convicted of the charge and part of his sentence included installing an ignition interlock device. Relatively, does my cousin need to put an ignition interlock device in his car as a condition of bond?

Earnest

Washington, DC

For a first DWI offense in Washington, DC, conditions of bond are a matter of discretion for the Court. Most Judges would not put an ignition interlock device as a condition of your cousin’s bond if it is his first DWI. However, if he was charged with Manslaughter, Intoxicated Assault or a subsequent DWI (it does not matter how long ago his first DWI was), he will be required by law to install an ignition interlock device on his vehicle.

In this case, your cousin will not be allowed to drive any vehicle that is not equipped with an ignition interlock device. He would have to blow into the ignition interlock device before the vehicle could be started. If the ignition interlock device determines a certain level of alcohol on his breath, it would temporarily disable his vehicle. When driving, he has to continuously blow into the ignition interlock device about every 20 minutes. It would become extremely difficult to entertain a client, conduct real estate business, or drive the kids with their friends to school with this device in his car.

Tags: breath test, DUI, DUI lawyer