Tennessee law may require you to install an ignition interlock device under certain conditions, such as if you get a conviction for a DUI. These devices have relatively strict rules governing their maintenance, installation and use. Maintaining the device would be your responsibility, but you would not be allowed to do the repairs yourself.
It is also worth mentioning that you may be able to petition the court for the right to install an IID. This could be useful if you were driving on a geographically restricted license that did not suit your needs. With that in mind, here are some of the rules you would have to follow if you had an IID ordered.
The first and arguably the most important rule associated with your IID would be complying with the testing procedures. There should be no confusion as to what those procedures are. Installation centers should give you an information packet that explains all of these procedures in detail.
However, you would have to do more than simply test your blood alcohol. As mentioned above, the maintenance of your IID would be your responsibility. This means that, in the event that the device stopped functioning, you would be obligated to bring it in for service.
Failing to comply with the analysis, failing to maintain the device properly or trying to circumvent the function of the IID by tampering could all result in trouble for you. As stated in the changes to the Tenessee DUI law in 2016, these types of violations could restart your monitoring period. However, there are situations in which you may not be responsible for an apparent violation of the terms of your court order.
You may have a limited amount of time to contest any alleged violation, and the details are different for every case. Do not view this as legal advice. It is only meant to inform you of the general topic.
