One of the potential ramifications of DUI in Missouri is a court mandate to install an ignition interlock device in your car. This is a tiny machine that a certified installer will place in your vehicle. It acts as a breath-testing machine. You must exhale into the ignition interlock device to start the car. If the device finds any booze on your breath, the engine will not turn on.
If you need to share your vehicle with other people, it may prove to be an additional challenge. According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, if the court mandates an ignition interlock device after your DUI, there must be one in any car you operate, even if you do not own that car.
What about work vehicles?
If you have a job where you must drive a vehicle, you must have an ignition interlock device in that vehicle in order to operate it. Missouri law has no requirements for employers to place or fund ignition interlock devices in vehicles for employees who require one. There is no specific guidance for how the employer and employee should navigate this situation in Missouri courts.
What about family vehicles?
While two persons with DUI convictions may not share a single ignition interlock device, it is possible to install one in a family vehicle. The other members of the family will need to also use the ignition interlock device in order to operate the car. However, family members may operate a vehicle with an ignition interlock device in it.
There are ways to continue driving after a DUI. Ignition interlock devices are expensive, but it is the main way to get back on the road legally.
