The Interlock Restriction and the School Car
A 23-year-old man books two behind-the-wheel refresher hours. He was convicted of DWI six months ago, first offense, with a BAC of 0.14. His revocation period has ended, and he says his license is now restricted. He reports that his lawyer told him he only needs the interlock for his own car, so he wants to use your school's 2019 sedan, which has no ignition interlock device. He starts a delivery job in three weeks and is anxious to get hours in. He is polite and forthcoming, and he brings his license, which shows a restriction code he does not understand. Your school's DMV approval and insurance require that a student drive only a vehicle he is legally permitted to operate.
1. Can you run the lesson in the school car? What must be verified before you schedule anything?
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Not on the current information. The restriction attaches to his privilege to drive, and the operative question is whether the order requires an interlock-equipped vehicle for any vehicle he operates or only for vehicles he owns or registers. That is written in the order and the DMV record, not in a secondhand report of what a lawyer said.
Verify before scheduling:
- Read the restriction code on the license and ask DMV to explain it, ideally in an email you keep.
- Confirm whether the restriction means 'no operation of any vehicle without an IID' or something narrower.
- Check with your insurer that a driver with this restriction is covered in your vehicle once the restriction question is settled.
- Confirm your school's written policy on students with license restrictions.
If the answer is 'any vehicle,' the school car cannot be used, regardless of how sympathetic the situation is or how tight his start date is.
2. What are the realistic options and the risk of each?
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Option A - install an IID in a school car. Compliant, but expensive, and it may not be worth it for one student. Check whether the vendor will install in a driving-school vehicle at all.
Option B - teach in his own IID-equipped car, with you as passenger. This is often the best answer; confirm insurance and school policy first. It has a teaching advantage: you can rehearse the device routine on the car he will actually drive.
Option C - defer until the restriction changes or DMV clarifies it.
The risk of doing the lesson in the school car anyway: violating a license restriction is its own offense, it can jeopardize the license he just got back, and it can void coverage for both him and the school if something happens. His employment deadline is a real pressure, but it is not a reason to put his license and your program approval at risk. Say that plainly and put the options in writing.
3. Assuming the lesson goes ahead in an interlock-equipped car, what do you teach about the device, and what must you refuse to teach?
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Teach the routine as a driving procedure:
- The pre-start sample: how to supply it, and what the device does if it reads alcohol.
- The rolling retest: when it prompts, keep both hands on the wheel, take the test with a glance rather than a stare, and if you cannot do it safely, signal and pull over before testing. A missed test is logged and has consequences.
- Service and calibration reminders, and what happens if the vehicle is serviced or the battery dies.
- Alcohol detection is unforgiving: mouthwash, hand sanitizer, or a heavy night before can register. Treat the rule as zero and do not test right after using a product containing alcohol.
Refuse to teach: any workaround, including having a passenger blow, keeping the engine running to avoid a restart test, or tricks with air. Circumventing an interlock is a separate offense and defeats the entire point of the restriction. If he asks, the answer is a flat no, followed by an explanation of why the device is on his side of the ledger.