An ignition interlock device may be considered a penalty for the crime of driving under the influence (DUI), but if you really think about it, having one is a privilege offenders receive in order to get their lives back on track. Without that ignition interlock device, someone who made the choice to drink and drive wouldn’t be able to drive to work, school, or for family obligations. It’s not a bad trade off.
If you need more of a reason to be happy you can drive with an ignition interlock, you might want to talk to Gary Wrenn of Omaha, Nebraska. He has a few DUIs on his record, and since Nebraska DUI law allows a judge to require an ignition interlock for repeat offenders, he installed one in his SUV. When thieves came to try to steal his SUV, they couldn’t start it because of the ignition interlock device.
The thieves attempted to blow into the device, but the car wouldn’t start. During their attempts to start it, the ignition interlock took photos of the thieves, and those photos are now with the police. Incredibly, the thieves returned for a second time to try to steal the vehicle, and in the process more photos were captured.
Unfortunately for Wrenn, the images of the thieves are of little comfort as he works to pay off a huge repair bill; they did approximately $3,000 worth of damage to his vehicle during the break ins. The good news? He might have to repair it, but at least he still has his SUV.
An ignition interlock as an anti-theft mechanism? That’s definitely not its intended purpose, but you can believe that Gary Wrenn is happy he had the privilege of installing one now. After all, without the ignition interlock device he might not have a car to drive at all.