Shirley firm's system aims to thwart drunken drivers
John Ruocco, inventor of Interceptor Ignition Interlock, demonstrates how the device works by breathing into it inside of his car. The car will not start if alcohol is detected. There is also a camera on the dashboard of the car. (March 23, 2010) Credit: James Carbone
There are now about 100 cars on Long Island whose horns and lights could automatically start blaring and flashing. It won't mean there is anything wrong with the car. Instead, it will be an indication the driver has been convicted of drunken driving - a felony in New York State - and has gotten behind the wheel after again consuming alcohol.
The system in these cars is the latest in interlock technology, designed and manufactured by Shirley-based Interceptor Ignition Interlocks Inc.
"We looked at the interlock industry and we saw a lot of issues," said John Ruocco, the company's chief executive. "The technology was very old, and everyone pretty much had the same technology. We did a survey [of probation officers, police agencies, district attorneys, judges] and asked them what they'd like to see."
After four years of research, the company came out with a device called the Interceptor. It is aimed at prohibiting convicted drunken drivers from getting behind the wheel after they have consumed even 0.025 of alcohol, well below the state's legal limit of .08.
The device is a breath analyzer that gives probation officers or any monitoring agency the ability to see, read and hear in real time the results of a driver's blood-alcohol breath test. Older devices provide data that is checked by probation officers every few weeks.
The devices are mandatory for DWI convictions. If drivers refuse to have the systems installed, their driving privileges are revoked.
Ruocco is seeking to broaden his campaign to lease the devices nationwide.
The horn and lights on a car driven by a convicted drunken driver who has consumed some alcohol will blare and flash if they do not pull off the road almost immediately after failing the breath test. A buzzer sounds to signify a test, which is randomly timed so that the driver never knows when he or she will be asked to breathe into the breath analyzer.
The device alerts police and the driver's probation officer if alcohol has been consumed. A global positioning system pinpoints the driver's location. The Interceptor uses AT&T's wireless network to send results of blood-alcohol tests to the company's server and then each probation officer.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 15: LI's top basketball players On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay take a look top boys and girls basketball players on Long Island.
