the penalties for DWI in New Jersey

recently changed uh to benefit drivers

to some extent the changes were as

follows firstly a first offender under

many circumstances whereby they

previously had to serve some period of

license suspension at least six months

in New Jersey now many uh offenders

after being convicted or having pled

guilty to a DWI in New Jersey receive uh

among other things the requirement of

installing an ignition interlock in

their vehicle for a period of time 7 to

12 months in some cases three months and

with other Financial penalties this

ignition interlock serves the the

purpose of what license suspension in

certain of these cases would would

engender the interlock is very briefly a

device that has to be installed paid for

by the defendant hooked up to his

vehicle and the way it’s hooked up to

the ignition is that a mouthpiece must

be blown into before the car has started

and if alcohol is determined or observed

on the on the breath in terms of the

operation of the uh machine the car will

not start so an ignition interlock

prevents someone who has consumed

alcohol in the recent past from starting

their motor vehicle it’s installed in

the motor vehicle that they use and only

that vehicle so in terms of penalty

obviously that that that’s an

enhancement uh it’s not a free bite at

the Apple because there are still our

significant financial penalties

associated with it obviously there’s

impact for insurance rates when

someone’s convicted of DWI but the fact

that the New Jersey legislature has

determined that keeping drunk drivers

off the roads is is the major concern uh

it was felt by the legislature that

preventing someone from driving who had

alcohol on her breath would serve that

purpose also I might add though that in

cases of uh 0.15 breath alcohol reading

or above there is still on a first

offense uh a requirement of a four to

six month license suspension and for

second and third offenses the penalties

like in many states do uh get more

severe