A package of bills putting more regulations on the state’s ignition interlock program is headed to the governor. The measures require ignition interlocks to be installed by a licensed technician in a licensed facility. Senator Tonya Schuitmaker of Lawton sponsored the bills and says they also bring Michigan in line with federal standards.
“It also updates the statutes to make them current with federal highway safety standards,” said Schuitmaker. She says stories have been told of people offering to show others how to cheat the devices so those who have been ordered by courts to have the interlocks can bypass them when they’ve been drinking.
The devices prevent drivers who have had alcohol from starting their car. Mobile installers have opposed the legislation saying the changes will put them out of work. The bills won final legislative approval in the Senate Thursday.
