When you love road trips or have to travel for business, a DUI really can complicate things. Especially when you have an ignition interlock requirement as a result. If you are used to strolling up to your local car rental agency and then rolling out in a car for the business week or a weekend getaway, your DUI is really going to get in the way of your road trip.
Ignition interlock restrictions are listed on your license or can be seen with a regular license check.
Rental car companies don’t rent vehicles with an ignition interlock device installed, nor will they rent to a person with that designation on their license or driving record. In fact, you may even run into problems with just a DUI and no interlock requirement on your record. Most, if not all, rental car companies have a strict policy against renting a vehicle to a person who has a DUI conviction on their record (up to 48 months prior in some cases). So even if you don’t have an interlock requirement, you may not be able to drive because of your DUI incident.
When you have an ignition interlock requirement, things get even more difficult. An ignition interlock device is set to monitor one person (with the understanding that friends or family may also use the device if they need to) and the data reports reflect that one-interlock-per-person assumption. Rental car companies would have to have a way to distinguish between people, which isn’t their job; they rent cars.
In some states, lending or renting a car to a person with an ignition interlock requirement is a crime.
Not only that, but you won’t find a rental car company that will let you install an ignition interlock on their vehicle. An ignition interlock device is the ticket to keeping your freedom to drive after a DUI. Nevertheless, there are restrictions to driving that apply, and renting a car during your interlock period is one of them.
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