NM Alcohol Interlock Workshop: Oct. 28, 2014

New Mexico Alcohol Interlock Workshop

Licensing staff, criminal justice professionals, probation and treatment service providers and many other DWI-related practitioners play an important role in the delivery of alcohol interlock programs across the United States. These practitioners need answers to many key questions to effectively use the device to manage drunk drivers. These questions generally are related to the research about the effectiveness of devices in reducing drunk driving, how the technology works and whether offenders are able to circumvent the technology, and the best ways to use devices to supervise drunk drivers to protect the public.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation, Traffic Safety Bureau (NM DOT) in partnership with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), a leading road safety research institute, is pleased to offer a full day workshop for MVD and TSB representatives, criminal justice professionals, probation and treatment service providers and any other interested party on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 in Santa Fe, NM to provide answers to these and other commonly asked questions about alcohol interlocks. Program topics include:

Research
1. Do alcohol interlocks reduce drunk-driving recidivism among first and repeat offenders?

2. Do alcohol interlocks reduce alcohol-related crashes?

3. Can alcohol interlocks predict future drunk driving recidivism?

4. What effects do interlocks have on long-term behavior?

5. How does having an interlock impact other family members in a single vehicle family?

6. Do the benefits of the device justify the cost?

Technology
1. How does an alcohol interlock work and how accurate is the technology?

2. How are devices approved and regulated by the State?

3. What happens when the driver fails a breath test?

4. How do the different features of the alcohol interlock work?

5. How are offenders prevented from tampering with or circumventing the device?

6. How often are the devices serviced, and what does this entail?

7. What data are captured by the device and how often is it collected?

Programs
New Mexico’s interlock program will be described, including eligible offenders, length of device installation, program costs, data collection/reporting, program violations and responses to them, and device removal. Best practices for programs and examples of practice will be highlighted.

Please R.S.V.P. to Anna McKiernan at annam@tirf.ca by October 15th.