Alcohol Interlock Systems
An Alcohol Interlock is an electronic breath-testing device wired to the ignition system of a vehicle, and can be fitted to cars, trucks, and motorbikes. At AIM Auto Electrics, we install a range of Smart Start alcohol interlock systems to suit your purpose. The Alcohol Interlock devices we fit offer functionality that meets all Victorian Government legislation. Whether you require an interlock due to a drink driving offence, voluntary participation or for commercial applications, AIM Auto Electrics has you covered. AIM Auto Electrics is a Smart Start service centre. Smart Start Interlocks are user friendly and easy to operate. Our highly skilled staff can profesionally install an interlock device in your vehicle. We have experience working with all makes and models, visit us today for more information about installing a Smart Start Interlock device in your vehicle.
Frequently asked questions
Smart Start devices use leading fuel cell technology and are calibrated at every servicing period to ensure reliability. Due to the sensitivity of these devices, they can detect even trace amounts of alcohol you might have ingested in food or toothpaste. Because of this you should try to avoid eating or drinking anything for ten minutes before taking a test and while driving. We would recommend drinking some water before you take a test to clear any potential contaminants.
The interlock will never interfere with the safe operation of your vehicle, as all the devices are designed to affect only the starter system, never the engine itself. Additionally, if your car stalls or shuts down in traffic, you will have three minutes to restart the engine without having to take a test again.
Due to the high sensitivity of these devices, they can detect even tiny amounts of alcohol which might be present in food or toothpaste. Because of this, we recommend not eating or drinking anything ten minutes before taking a test and while driving. Taking a drink of water before taking a test to clear potential contaminants from your mouth is also recommended. Common false positives include: mouth wash, toothpaste, mints, cough syrup, tobacco and cigarettes, pizza, citrus, hamburgers, fermented food products, and vanilla products including ice cream.
If you have recorded a positive breath sample which you believe is incorrect, rinse your mouth with water before providing your retest sample after the temporary lockout period ends. If you blow a reading below 0.02, your last test was a false positive and this will be reflected in your reports. We also suggest you document such events, so you can provide details if needed.
After the first test and the engine starts running, the interlock will continue to request breath samples randomly. The first retest will occur between 5 – 15 minutes after starting the engine, after this the device will continue to request retests between 15 – 60 minutes after the previous retest has been passed.
When requesting a random retest, the unit will sound an alert and the display will read ‘BLOW’ with a countdown of 5 minutes. This gives you time to safely pull over and provide a breath sample.
Take note that the device will continue to request tests randomly so long as the vehicle is running. Even if you have arrived at your destination, if the device asks for a breath sample you must provide it. Turning off the vehicle will be considered a refused breath test and recorded as a violation. Do not leave your car running and unattended as you may miss a breath test and record a violation.
If a random retest is failed or missed, the lights and horn will activate to warn others that you are a potential road hazard. It is recommended that you pull over in a safe location and turn off the engine to stop the alarm. This may put your vehicle into a temporary lockout. After the lockout period has ended you will be required to provide a passing initial test to start the vehicle.
This means that the vehicle is in permanent lockout and will not start. Permanent lockouts occur when: (1) your scheduled maintenance is seven days overdue OR (2) you have missed an unscheduled service which has been requested due to violations recorded by the device.
You must call the Smart Start Interlocks Head Office (1300 256 900) to obtain an unlock code. This code will allow you to operate the vehicle for 6 hours, during which you must drive the vehicle to one of our agents for an unscheduled service. Unlock codes cost $55 each and can only be given out twice during any one service period.