New Mexico has some of the strictest drunk driving laws of any state. The term in the state for drunk driving offenses is Driving While Intoxicated (DWI). Drivers who are found to be on the road with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 percent or above risk an arrest for DWI, and the associated penalties.
Penalties include fines, possible mandatory treatment, and license suspension. New Mexico has had an interlock policy for many years, and some drivers will be able to regain their license during the suspension period if they install an ignition interlock device. This guide will explain the process.
The state has a variety of criteria that offenders must meet before being eligible to regain their driving privileges with an interlock. Even first offenders in New Mexico risk having their license suspended for an offense, so the interlock policy is applicable to all offenders.
There are heavy civil and financial penalties for driving drunk in New Mexico. The following are what offenders might receive depending on the offense.
The court may decide to give offender’s additional penalties depending on the severity of the incident or other factors.
New Mexico holds offenders who refuse to take a test accountable with various penalties. For anyone over 21, refusing to take a test can result in a driver’s license revocation for one year, and an additional year for repeat offenders. For those offenders under 21, the penalty is one year for both failing or refusing to take the test.
Offenders must meet the following criteria to regain driving privileges in New Mexico.
New Mexico’s interlock policy is compliance-based, which means the IID term can be extended if the offender violates the policy. Additionally, the court may require additional criteria be met, or institute a longer term, if the offender has other incidents on their record.
ADS devices all feature a simple operating system and bilingual prompts, making it easy for English and Spanish speakers to use. The devices are required to be installed by an approved provider, and ADS can help with the proof of installation as well.
An ignition interlock device is intended to help prevent recidivism among drunk drivers, and keep the roads safer for all. Here is how they work:
This is determined by statute. However, New Mexico’s interlock policy is compliance-based, which means that an interlock term can be lengthened based on policy violations. All data is reported to the monitoring authority.
New Mexico requires offenders to cover the costs of their device installation and lease. The cost varies depending on the provider, but the typical price for interlock installation is between $70 and $100, and the lease costs are typically between $70 and $120 per month. This can change also depending on your type of vehicle and interlock requirements.
ADS offers 2 locations in New Mexico. To view our expanded network of partner locations, search your city, state or zip code for more locations near you.