Illinois' new first-time offender DUI law

• First-time DUI offenders still automatically lose their license for the first 30 days after an arrest, but afterward they have the option of getting a breath-alcohol ignition-interlock device installed in their car to drive legally during a suspension period.

• A driver who took breath/chemicals tests during a traffic stop has a six-month suspension period; those who refused testing face a 12-month suspension of their licenses.

• The driver must blow into the device to start the car and then submit to random retesting in the first 15 minutes and twice an hour thereafter.

• The car won't start if the driver has a blood-alcohol level above .024. If a driver blows .05 or greater, it is considered a violation.

• The driver must bring the device to the vendor every 60 days to have its memory sent to the Illinois Secretary of State for review.

• Illinois Secretary of State enforces violations, which begin with a 90-day extension of the suspension period and with chronic violations can lead to the driver's car being impounded or seized and his license revoked.

• The device costs about $85 to install and another $80 a month to rent, plus a $30 a monthly fee. There's a state fund paid by offenders and vendors for poor arrestees who can't afford the device.

• A driver faces up to three years in prison if convicted of tampering with the device to try to skirt the law.

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation; Daily Herald interviews