In Massachusetts, any motorist convicted of a second of subsequent offense of operating under the influence of alcohol must have the ignition interlock device installed before the Registry of Motor Vehicles will issue a hardship license. Chapter 90 § 24 ½ requires the ignition interlock to be installed prior to the Registry of Motor Vehicles issuing any hardship license for a second or subsequent Massachusetts OUI or DUI offense in Massachusetts. This requirement also applies to out of state convictions, so the RMV will review your entire driving record to determine how many prior OUI offenses you have. Sometimes the prosecutor will be unaware of a prior OUI and may charge a lower offense than your record would warrant; however, the RMV will issue any license suspension according to its records independent of the offense level charged by the court. Sometimes a prosecutor will voluntarily agree to reduce an offense level in exchange for a plea. While that will reduce the sentence imposed by the court, the license consequences will be the same as the Registry will issue any suspension based on its own records.
It is extremely important to hire an experienced Massachusetts DUI attorney to fight any second offense DUI as in addition to potential jail time, the ignition interlock requirement places a severe limitation on your Massachusetts driver's license.
