Budget Item Includes Required Interlock Device For All Convicted Drunk Drivers

Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 -- 12:01 PM

(Ted Ehlen, WRN) A part of Governor Evers’ proposed budget aims to keep drunk drivers off the roads.

A proposal in the spending plan will require anyone cited or convicted of drunk driving to have an ignition interlock device installed in their car, even if it’s a first offense. The devices won’t allow a vehicle to start unless the driver passes a breathalyzer test.

Thirty states and Washington, D.C. require all offenders to install the device, but Wisconsin doesn’t. In the last budget session, Racine Republican Senator Van Wanggaard introduced a measure mandating many convicted of OWI to only drive vehicles equipped with the device.

Opposition from the Wisconsin Tavern League kept that proposal from passing.

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