BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - State government records show that only about a third of New Yorkers required to use special ignition locks after drunken driving convictions ever get the devices installed.
The Buffalo News reports (http://bit.ly/Ru7l7X) reports Sunday that 23,000 motorists in the state have avoided equipping their vehicles with the ignition interlock technology, often by taking them off the road to avoid the expense.
The devices sample a driver's breath and block a vehicle from starting if their blood alcohol level is 0.025 percent, well below the DWI level of 0.08.
Authorities say many motorists will simply stay off the road and wait out the six months to a year they'd otherwise have to use the locks. But they say others are being caught behind the wheel of a friend's or relative's vehicle.
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