Driving under the influence: ignition interlock devices.

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to, as specified, immediately suspend a person's driver's license if the person is administratively found to have been operating a motor vehicle with a specified quantity of alcohol in their blood. Existing law authorizes a person who has had their driver's license suspended by the department to be issued a restricted driver's license if they meet specified criteria, including the installation and maintenance of an ignition interlock device (IID) . Existing law, until January 1, 2026, requires a person, upon a criminal conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol with a prior conviction for driving under the influence or for driving under the influence and causing injury, to install and maintain an IID for a specified period of time. Existing law also authorizes a court, upon the first criminal conviction of a person for driving under the influence, to order the person to install and maintain an IID for a specified period of time, or, if the court does not order the installation of such a device, authorizes the person to apply for a restricted license. Existing law requires the department to credit any time that a person maintained a functioning IID during the period of that person's restricted licensure, but prior to the criminal conviction, toward any mandatory term of maintaining such a device, required upon conviction. This bill would require a person, upon the person's first criminal conviction for driving under the influence, to install and maintain an IID for a specified period of time. The bill would delete those provisions authorizing a restricted license in lieu of an IID for first offenders. The bill would require the department to credit any time that a person maintained a functioning IID during the period of that person's restricted licensure, but prior to the criminal conviction, toward any term of maintaining such a device, required by law upon conviction pursuant to the above-described statute. The bill would place certain recordkeeping requirements upon manufacturers of ignition interlock devices. The bill would also extend the operation of the law requiring IIDs until January 1, 2027, and make conforming changes to related reporting requirements.