Alcohol interlocks

New advances in technology also continue to stimulate activity and this is reflected in the efforts of jurisdictions to update technical standards and model specifications as is the case in the Netherlands, the EU, and most recently the United States. [...] The use of alcohol interlocks in Canada is authorized by the Federal Government in the Criminal Code of Canada which contains provisions for a reduction in the driving prohibition if an offender agrees to participate in an alcohol interlock program (e.g., reduction of the one year mandatory driving prohibition to three months for first offenders). [...] Offenders who are removed from the program as a result of violations are subject to the full licence suspension period and the interlock requirements that would have been applicable to the offender but for their participation in the program. [...] The objectives of this evaluation were to examine how the program has developed and implemented to identify areas for improvement, to determine the use of the program, to determine stakeholders’ perceptions, and to compare planned implementation to actual implementation. [...] The results showed that the average time between conviction and installation of the interlock was 4.8 months and the average time between installation and removal of the interlock was 7 months.