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George F. Gitlitz, MD
Binghamton, NY

JAMA. 1996;275(5):358.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.

—The ignition interlock device may have application to the alcohol interventions discussed by Dr Gentilello and colleagues.¹ The interlock is a miniature Breathalyzer integrated into a car's ignition system. Before the driver can start the car, he or she must blow into the device; if the driver's blood alcohol concentration is too high, the car will not start. A group of pilot projects begun in the late 1980s and reviewed in 1991 by Linnell and Mook^2-4 showed that the decrease in the expected rate of recidivism could be as high as 66%.

Though these early statistics inspired a few states to undertake larger studies in the hope that a more reliable data base could be accumulated, progress toward bringing the device into widespread use has been slow.

The interlock's use at the present time is confined almost exclusively to being a sanction imposed by a . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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