Hip Young Things

Lindsay Lohan made her legal team aware of a full page ad about ignition interlock devices using her mugshot from her DUI case.  So what are ignition interlock devices?

An ignition interlock device is used to monitor breath alcohol levels on certain drivers who have been convicted of DUI.  The device is installed on a vehicle’s dashboard and drivers must use it before they can start their vehicle.  To do this the driver breathes into the device.  The device measures the breath alcohol amount.  If it is below the programmed amount in the device then the engine will start as normal.  If above these limits the engine will not start.  The limits set are usually in the range of 0.02 to 0.04%

The ignition interlock device will also ask for readings at random periods after the vehicle is started.  This is to prevent another person from starting the vehicle for the convicted driver.  If the random sample is ignored or is indeed above the limit this will be logged by the device and an alarm will be activated using the vehicle’s horn and lights.  This will continue until the engine is turned off or a sample below the limits is provided.

In the US almost all of the states use ignition interlock devices to monitor drivers convicted of DUI.  For example in Massachusetts drivers convicted of a 2^nd DUI  and are eligible for a  license reinstatement are legally instructed to install a ignition interlock device at their own expense. In New Mexico all people convicted of DUI for the first time are required to have a device installed for a year.  The same is true in Arizona.

Reviews of the success of these devices are mixed.  It is suggested that they work for certain offenders in some situations, but not all.  They work in situations where they are installed, not where it is up to the driver to install.  Research also suggests that they do not work well with 1^st time offenders convicted with high levels of blood alcohol.  Interlock devices are often attacked by attorneys on legal and scientific principles.

Article provided by Massachusetts DUI Attorney providing legal aid to drivers around the state.

There is a kind of studied coolness that every generation seems to cultivate. That perfect measure of aloofness with genuine concern for the troubles of the world is one that is somehow enormously off-putting to the boring people in the world, and absolutely mesmerizing to the culture of the super-hip. One of the most prominent qualities of the super-hip, of course, is that hipness itself is a creation and a fiction, and is of relatively no importance in the big scheme of things. Irony is the real master, but too much irony can throw one out of the ring entirely.

It’s probably impossible to know for sure whether or not Bob Dylan was the one who created the codes, or was the perfect chameleon , mastering codes that were already in place before he hit the scene. What is knowable is really limited to some basic street smarts, and a few unusual pieces of wisdom, like the basics of small engine carburetor repair and how to flirt in French. A little wisdom does go a long way, and in the culture of the hip, making more out of a little is the true sign of a rising star.

No one could ride a star faster than the young Bob Dylan , and it’s been a long while since a star has risen quite so quickly. In many respects, he seems like an icon of the old now, the 70-something songwriter with the bad voice, who reminds everyone of their grandfather. There’s little doubt, however, when seeing the footage of the press conferences on his way up, that he had it, and probably still does. He had it in a way that no one has ever been able to really approach ever since. The truly ironic thing about it is that for many young wannabes, he seems to be the guy who got out of everything unscathed.

It might be possible to trace some of his trajectories of thought while riding the side streets, but one thing that the motorcycle books can’t portray is that lost moment when he spun out of control and into the hospital. Something happened in that instant, something remarkably important. The iconic figure who had been shirking the idea of fame, in a way that only made him more famous, saw something in this period that made him decide that he was simultaneously the flame and the moth. Continuing down that particular road would only lead to a burning that was ultimately unimaginably terrifying. The studied coolness did pay off, and in the end, it was also a means toward escaping a particularly untenable route.