He's On Lock Down

[tropicsgoddess]

I work as an Appointment Setter for a major Ford dealer in my area. I call up the leads that put up inquiries online to get them to set an appointment and meet with a sales person about whatever car they inquire about. There are times I get incoming calls from the ones that look at the ads the dealership puts up about sales for new cars or for used cars and times I get rejected for appointments because of the customer having financial, credit issues and the like which is no surprise with the current economy here (what I feel about the current economic situation or any contentious stuff will be left to Fratching). This call that I made was a real gem and I mean that in every sense.


Me=yours truly
LDG=Lock Down Guy
Thoughts in italics

LDG: Hello?

Me: Hi, how are you?

LDG: Good and you?

Me: I'm fine. May I please speak to LDG?

LDG: Speaking. Who is this?

Me: My name is Tropicsgoddess and I'm calling from ________ to see if you're still interested in the 2008 Ford Edge and if you would like to come in, take a look and go over some options.


LDG: I'm still interested, but you would have to give me until July since I have an ignition interlock device on my current car that I can't take out.

Me: You gotta be shitting me!

Me: Wow....I'm sorry to hear that. I will make note of this on my system and I will give you a call then or you can give us a call when you're ready.

LDG: Ok, I will.

Me: Thank you for your time.

*Call ends*

[KaeZoo]

I'm sure it won't be the last time you run into that. More and more states are requiring ignition interlock devices for people convicted of drunk driving. I see them here every now and then; it's somewhat annoying because we need the customer to start his own car to bring it into the bay and back it out again. I certainly have no interest in blowing into someone else's mouthpiece.

[bendertiger]

Shame you can't fart into it

[IT Grunt]

I'm guessing this is a device with a breathalyzer, that only allows them to start the car if they register under the limit?

[KaeZoo]

I'm guessing this is a device with a breathalyzer, that only allows them to start the car if they register under the limit?

Exactly correct. In fact, if I understand them correctly, it will prevent the car from starting if it detects any alcohol (not just a BAC below the legal limit).

[KaeZoo]

Shame you can't fart into it

Oops, you've inadvertently triggered a mini-rant!

People make mistakes. They screw up. They do dumb things.

If I see a car with an ignition interlock device, then I think, "someone screwed up". He got caught, he's paying a price, hopefully he'll learn his lesson and won't do it again. It's not something that makes me personally spiteful toward him. It doesn't, by itself, make him a sucky customer in my opinion. He might be a really nice guy who did something really, really stupid. It happens.

[IT Grunt]

Exactly correct. In fact, if I understand them correctly, it will prevent the car from starting if it detects any alcohol (not just a BAC below the legal limit).

Which is even better, I agree. Someone gets caught breaking the law, they pay the price. It's a rather ingenious idea. They still have their car, but if they drive it to a bar and drink, they aren't driving it home.

[Sheldonrs]

Shame you can't fart into it

Only if it's a hybrid car.

[FuzzyKitten99]

Oops, you've inadvertently triggered a mini-rant!

People make mistakes. They screw up. They do dumb things.

If I see a car with an ignition interlock device, then I think, "someone screwed up". He got caught, he's paying a price, hopefully he'll learn his lesson and won't do it again. It's not something that makes me personally spiteful toward him. It doesn't, by itself, make him a sucky customer in my opinion. He might be a really nice guy who did something really, really stupid. It happens.

Exactly. I have a good friend, Jake, who got a DUI just before New Years Eve. He was at a bar about 4 blocks from home. His BAC was above the legal limit, but not by much, and he has a very high tolerance. No, I am not defending his actions, I just know him that well and have been around him enough to know that BAC doesn't necessarily mean incapacitated. Not that what he did wasn't wrong, which it was. I just know that he doesn't get stumble-down drunk.

Anyway, it was a little slippery that night, and as he was going around the corner (less than 15mph), only just yards away from his apartment, he hit a little ice and went into the snowbank. This was at a low speed, but he still got stuck and started digging his way out. He was almost done when a cop just happened to come by. He asked the usual questions, one of which was have you been drinking. Jake was honest and said yes. Jake then found himself being asked for a breathalyzer and then handcuffed, etc.

Now, he knows he made a mistake in driving home. He is fully able to admit that he could have just walked home and went and got his car the next morning. So, he has been dealing with an ankle-monitor for the past 4 months, and just got it off. He has never, ever been arrested for anything in his life. He's 28. He knows he made a mistake, and he admitted that in court and that he definitely learned his lesson. I know he means this because this has been a financial and social issue for him. He has to pay $600 to get his license back, and he is being forced to take some kind of driving course that is $500, out of his pocket. He feels that this is a huge learning lesson for him and shouldn't need to have some government agency tell him how to not drive drunk, and pay them to do so. There is some other stuff they are making him do that they don't even make repeat offenders do.

While he doesn't agree with the stuff they are making him do, especially for a first time arrest for anything, he is doing it and knows that he will think twice after hanging out with friends at the bar and then driving home.

[rerant]

Oops, you've inadvertently triggered a mini-rant!

People make mistakes. They screw up. They do dumb things.

If I see a car with an ignition interlock device, then I think, "someone screwed up". He got caught, he's paying a price, hopefully he'll learn his lesson and won't do it again. It's not something that makes me personally spiteful toward him. It doesn't, by itself, make him a sucky customer in my opinion. He might be a really nice guy who did something really, really stupid. It happens.

That one little "screw up" could have cost someone their life.
IMO no drunk driving is something to overlook as a mistake. Yeah they may be a really nice person, but that doesn't mean they're someone who makes (or made) good choices.

I think those ignition systems are great, and I wish we handed them out more here in Canada. I don't know how popular they are here as punishment, but I've seen many people whose driving looks like they could use one of them.

[depechemodefan]

ok, what keeps a person from gettin a friend or SO who is sober from breathing in it?

[jayel]

ok, what keeps a person from gettin a friend or SO who is sober from breathing in it?

That's what I've always wanted to know! It seems to easy to work around. Surely there must be some safeguard in place to prevent this, or it would just be laughable to install these.

Answers, anyone?

[rerant]

ok, what keeps a person from gettin a friend or SO who is sober from breathing in it?

What I'm wondering more is why, if you had someone sober who could blow into it and start the car, would you not just have that person drive?
Here if you're driving a drunk friend's car and you don't have a license but get pulled over, the cops will usually give you a break because they understand that it's better than having a drunk driver behind the wheel.
I know this because I've been in this situation.

[Peppergirl]

ok, what keeps a person from gettin a friend or SO who is sober from breathing in it?

Well, back in my hard-partying days, and the early days of these devices, nothing stopped non-drinking bar mates from doing this for people with a lock.

I'm embarassed to say that I'd done it for a few people.

From what I've heard from a few of my still-partying friends, the newer devices have some way of telling who is doing the blowing. I'll definitely press for details next time I see them. Got me curious now.

[rvdammit]

That's what I've always wanted to know! It seems to easy to work around. Surely there must be some safeguard in place to prevent this, or it would just be laughable to install these.

Answers, anyone?

According to Wikipedia the answer is that the driver has to blow while the vehicle is in motion, and if that fails it starts the alarms going. Pull over or you may get some nice cops along to check the disturbance.