Most states, including Illinois, require first-time DUI offenders to have a Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device (BAIID) installed on their vehicles. Illinois also requires a camera unit on the BAIID to capture the image of the driver as they per-form their breath test.
On average, approximately 12,000 individuals drive with a BAIID installed on their car or truck.
Suppose you are a first-time DUI offender who wants to obtain and is eligible for driving relief during the period of statutory summary suspension. In that case, you must have a BAIID installed on your vehicle.
To be eligible for driving relief, you must obtain a Monitoring Device Driving Permit (MDDP), and a BAIID will be installed on your vehicle through the Secretary of State’s office. An MDDP and installation of a BAIID allow you to drive any-where at any time as long as you are driving a vehicle installed with a BAIID. The Secretary of State’s office monitors the BAIID throughout the duration of your permit. The BAIID will alert the Secretary of State’s office if you attempt any incidents of driving under the influence or tamper with the BAIID device.
You may decline to have an MDDP and a BAIID and instead choose to restrain from driving during your suspension period. However, if you choose not to participate in the program and are subsequently caught driving a vehicle during your suspension period, you are guilty of a Class 4 felony. Additionally, if you participate in the BAIID program and are subsequently caught driving a vehicle without a BAIID device installed, you are guilty of a Class 4 felony.
A BAIID also is required as a condition of receiving a Restricted Driving Permit (RDP) if you have two or three DUI convictions (no time limit between offenses); or two statutory summary suspensions (as a result of two DUI arrests); or one DUI conviction with a statutory summary suspension from a separate DUI arrest.
If you have two or three DUI convictions, you must obtain an RDP, drive only vehicles equipped with a BAIID and install a BAIID on all vehicles registered in your name for a period of five continuous years as a prerequisite for full reinstatement of driving privileges. A judge also may require you to have a BAIID installed on your vehicle. In such cases, it is the responsibility of the courts to monitor and record all information, not the Secretary of State’s office.
If you have four or more DUI convictions, you may apply to the Secretary of State’s office for an RDP after serving five years of your revocation. If the RDP is granted, you must have a BAIID installed on all vehicles registered in your name for the remainder of your driving lifetime and drive only vehicles equipped with a BAIID.
You are responsible for all costs associated with the issuance, installation and monitoring of the BAIID. For a listing of certified BAIID vendors and installation sites, see Illinois Secretary of State
