Mississippi Low-Income Ignition Interlock Option

A drunk driving conviction is never easy to recover from, no matter where you live. All states have court costs and fines, possible community service and even jail time if you misjudge your sobriety and end up with a DUI. You may be even responsible for the costs of an alcohol or substance abuse screening. If your state is like Mississippi, you will have to bear the cost of an ignition interlock device as well. So what happens if you just can’t afford an interlock – but you can’t afford not to have one?

In Mississippi, you may qualify for help from the indigent ignition interlock device fund for low-income residents. For instance, if you are a recipient of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), federal housing assistance, unemployment benefits or a few other programs, your cost for an ignition interlock may be reduced.

In most cases Mississippi doesn’t require that you install an ignition interlock until a second DUI offense, or if your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) measured well above the legal limit. However, you could reinstate your driver’s license after a first-offense DUI, as long as you install an ignition interlock device. The low-income interlock fund makes that situation easier to bear, and gets you back on a better road to recovery much sooner.

When times are tough, it’s hard to see how things will ever get better. The financial aftermath of a DUI can be difficult, and an interlock can allow you to get yourself back and forth to work. The Mississippi interlock fund for low-income residents can help ease your financial burden after a drunk driving conviction.