Under no circumstances should you try to game an ignition interlock device

I recently saw a report from KIRO news here in Seattle about a woman who tried to game an ignition interlock device. Apparently this woman was required to have one installed due to a prior DUI arrest. She then was trying to allegedly game the system by having her boyfriend blow into the ignition interlock device when she should have been. Unfortunately for her most ignition interlock devices have cameras installed to try and prevent this from happening.

As a Seattle DUI Attorney I have come across all sorts of ways people try to beat an ignition interlock device. In case you don’t know what an IID is and how it can be imposed here you go. Ignition interlock requirements. However in my opinion that is the stupidest thing a person can do and here is why?

Following a DUI arrest most people have to appear in Court to formally enter a not guilty plea on the charge. If the Judge were to impose an ignition interlock device at the arraignment then most likely the Judge also imposed an abstain condition as well. In Seattle this happens quite regularly especially in places like the Seattle Municipal Court.

If you try to game the ignition interlock system you most likely will be caught. The ignition interlock company will notify the Court where your DUI case is. The Judge will then set a hearing to address the release conditions. Keep in mind at this hearing that a Judge only needs to find by a preponderance of the evidence the release conditions have been violated. If that is the case then criminal rule 3.2 allows a Judge to amend a release order. If a Judge has ordered an ignition interlock device and an abstain condition, then they will only go one direction in amending that order. This would be an increase in any bail amount, and probably a SCRAM bracelet.

So unless you want to spend the duration of your DUI case in jail, or you want to drop an extra $400-$500 a month on a SCRAM bracelet then just don’t have a drop of alcohol and drive when you have an ignition interlock device in your vehicle. It’s that simple.

Oh and in case you were wondering about that news report on KIRO with the woman who tried to game her IID. She is now in custody after the ignition interlock company notified the Court of her violations. Additionally the pictures taken from the ignition interlock device show she had a 3 year old in the backseat. My guess is she and her boyfriend will be facing some new charges. Probably a reckless endangerment or something along those lines. It’s not worth it.

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About the author: Matthew Leyba is a DUI Lawyer in Seattle. He is rated as a 10/10 by Avvo.com when it comes to DUI lawyers in the Seattle area. He has also been repeatedly recognized as a Rising Star in the field of DUI Defense by the Seattle Met Magazine, an honor less than 2.5% of all Lawyers in Washington State receive.