PHOENIX - Officials say the number of ignition interlock devices in use in Arizona will triple once the state requires all drunken-driving offenders to install the devices on their vehicles.
That requirement is part of a new DUI law taking effect in mid-September. The devices currently are required only for aggravated or extreme DUI offenders.
The devices use a breath test to prevent a driver from starting a vehicle if the driver's blood-alcohol level is above a pre-set level.
The state Motor Vehicle Division says more than 7,300 ignition interlock devices are in use now and estimates the number will increase by 17,000 per year.
New Mexico is the only other state that requires ignition interlocks for first-time DUI offenders.
