Welcome

Welcome to the Alcohol Interlock Curriculum for Practitioners!

This website contains a variety of instructional materials that can assist agencies and organizations in educating their staff and members about alcohol ignition interlocks.

An alcohol ignition interlock is a breath testing device that connects to the starter or ignition, or other on-board computer system of a vehicle.

The device prevents the vehicle from starting if breath test results shows a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) is found to exceed a certain pre-set limit (usually corresponding to blood alcohol concentration of .02). This device also requires the driver to continue to pass repeated breath tests while the vehicle is in use to ensure that the driver remains sober. In addition, these programmable devices possess a range of anti-circumvention features. It should be noted that the alcohol interlock will never interfere with a running engine.

This curriculum provides general information about alcohol interlocks to the public and also allows registered instructors to tailor educational materials to meet their respective needs and deliver these materials at their convenience. It is designed to meet the educational needs of law enforcement, prosecutors, the judiciary, probation and parole officers, treatment professionals, and driver licensing professionals.

Electronic access to the special instructor materials for this curriculum is available by registering to obtain a username and password.

Information relating to the following topics can be found at this site:

  • international research findings from studies on alcohol interlocks;
  • alcohol interlock technology including a range of visual materials;
  • information about the certification, field testing, and calibration of alcohol interlocks;
  • information about the implementation of alcohol interlocks as part of a program to control and monitor impaired driving offenders;
  • information on obtaining jurisdictional reciprocity for interlock programs;
  • legal concerns about the use of alcohol interlocks that may be raised in a criminal justice setting;
  • information about contracting with vendors and service providers including a range of forms, contracts, and other administrative materials;
  • a guide to conduct an evaluation of an ignition interlock program; and
  • use of indigency and unaffordability program features

This curriculum was developed with input from researchers and representatives of several national criminal justice organizations, treatment professionals, and licensing agencies.

Instructor materials contained in this site are structured in a question/answer format and allow practitioners to select the topics and information that are most relevant to their audience. They include:

  • clear and comprehensive written materials for instructors;
  • concise summaries that allow instructors to create their own handouts;
  • powerpoint slides that allow instructors to create their own presentations;
  • visual materials including an instructional video; and,
  • glossaries and reference materials.