Oklahoma Becomes the 29th All-Offender Ignition Interlock Device State

Effective November 1 this year, the Sooner State will require all first-time DUI offenders to install an Interlock Device into their vehicles. The new bill was signed into law June 9 by Governor Mary Fallin.

What are the Changes in Oklahoma DUI Law?

This new law will mean an Interlock Device is required for six months to regain driving privileges. Before the bill was signed into law, Oklahoma only required Interlock Devices for first offenders with a .15 BrAC level and repeat offenders.

The Impaired Driving Accountability Program

With this law, Oklahoma will introduce the Impaired Driving Accountability Program (IDAP) to help first-time offenders “get their lives back on track while using an Ignition Interlock to ensure public safety.” If someone refuses the program, they will be required to have the Interlock Device for one year instead of six months before reinstating their license.

The 29th State with an All-Offender Interlock Device Law

Oklahoma is now the 29^th state to enact an all-offender Interlock Device law. MADD continues to lobby for passing all-offender laws across the U.S.  All 50 states have some sort of Interlock Device regulation, but not all require an Interlock Device after a first-time DWI offense.

In MADD’s press release, NHTSA is listed and reports that traffic fatalities in Oklahoma caused by drunk driving increased 4.3 percent from 2014 to 2015. Studies show that all-offender Interlock laws reduce drunk driving fatalities by 15 percent.

Interlock Devices are a direct preventative to drunk driving. Ignition Interlocks are devices in vehicles that do not allow it to start if the test results are at or above a set BrAC level in their state. BrAC is an acronym for breath alcohol concentration level, separate from BAC, which is blood alcohol concentration. The nationwide legal limit for drinking and driving is .08.

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