Ignition Interlock Devices

Protect Your Freedom with an Aggressive San Antonio DWI Lawyer

If you were arrested for DWI, you may wonder if you will be required to install an ignition interlock device (IID) in your vehicle, a special ignition switch that prevents your vehicle from starting if you have been drinking.

At The Law Office of John J. Fox, our attorney has nearly 20 years of experience handling DWI cases and we have the knowledge, resources, and professional contacts to defend your DWI charges!

Basic Information About IIDs

An IID is slightly larger than a cell phone and is wired to your vehicle's ignition. Once an IID has been installed, it requires that you provide a breath sample before the ignition will start. If the IID detects alcohol in your breath, your vehicle will not start.

As you drive, you will be periodically required to provide breath samples, this way the courts can be certain that you are not drinking while driving.

Texas Ignition Interlock Device (IID) Laws

In Texas, for second or subsequent DWI offenses (within 5 years) or with a blood alcohol content (BAC) greater than 0.15%, the court will order the offender to install an IID on all motor vehicles that he or she owns for one year following a period of driver's license suspension.

• When applying for an occupational license, the court may require that a first offender, and it must require that subsequent offenders (within 10 years) only operate vehicles that are equipped with IIDs.
• In most cases, the court will require that an offender who has been convicted of intoxicated assault, intoxicated manslaughter, or a subsequent DWI offense, upon release from confinement, to only operate vehicles that have been equipped with an IID.

(Source: Penal Code §49.09(g), §521.241 et seq, and Code of Criminal Procedure 42.12)

San Antonio DWI Defense Lawyer

On top of the sentencing and penalties associated with a DWI, a conviction will incur an annual fee ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 for three years to retain one's driver's license. If you have been arrested for DWI, whether this is your first, second, or subsequent offense, you should engage a San Antonio DWI attorney to fight your charges.

DWIs are unique to other criminal charges because they require that defense counsel has a working understanding of how scientific evidence and legal processes intersect in DUI cases. With years of experience defending DWI cases in the local courts, you can trust Attorney Fox to challenge the evidence and cross-examine the prosecution's witnesses in your case.