Can Other People Drive My Ignition Interlock-equipped Car?

If you require an ignition interlock device (IID) in your vehicle, you might be wondering about the other people who will be driving it as well. Perhaps you share your car with a spouse, or let your teenager drive from time to time.

Some of the questions we encounter during installations:

• Will others will be allowed to drive my car?
• Are there any restrictions on the use of the car or the interlock by other people?
• Can the interlock be disabled so that others don’t need to blow into it?

First question first: there’s no problem letting others drive your interlock-equipped car. Your DMV or court order probably states that you must have an IID on any vehicle you operate. However, anyone else who wants to can use your interlock-equipped vehicle. They just need to blow into the handset, the same as you do. That includes blowing in it to start the car, and doing periodic rolling retests.

However, it’s important that anyone using the car is trained properly in the use of the interlock. At LifeSafer we will train any additional users free of charge. Using an interlock is not hard, but proper instruction is important to avoid fails.

Note that there is no way to “disable” the interlock for other users, so everyone who drives the vehicle will need to use the interlock.

And of course, as the driver with the interlock mandate, you are responsible for any fails that show up on your test record. So it’s vitally important that other drivers use no alcohol before operating an interlock-equipped vehicle.

Consider that last point a bonus: anyone who drives your vehicle will be safe and unimpaired on the road, just as you will.