Ignition Interlock Errors

Interviewer: What feedback have you heard from people that had the interlocks? What do they say about it? Do they hate them? Do they drive them crazy? What else?

Steven Tomeo: Sometimes they do not work, and then the car won’t start. You hear all sorts of rumors. A lot of it is anecdotal. People have told me that it has not worked so they have not been able to start their car or they are driving along, and they get a signal that they have blown into it again. They pull over and they blow into it. All of this stuff is recorded on the device because it’s like a mini-computer in there.

Interviewer: Do they have cameras in them?

Steven Tomeo: No.

Interviewer: Do they watch you blow?

Steven Tomeo: No.

Interviewer: I’ve heard some of them do that; that’s why I asked.

Steven Tomeo: Not that I’m aware of for the ones in Connecticut.

Interviewer: I got you. Have you heard any other complaints about them? Do they drain people’s batteries or mess up their car? Do they cause the car to malfunction?

Steven Tomeo: Insofar as the engine won’t start when people are saying they had no alcohol in their system, I suppose that’s some type of an electrical system or computerized problem in their vehicle. Nobody is happy with them in their car.