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Land Transport Act 1998

Driving offences involving drink or drugs, and penalties and procedures - Mandatory alcohol interlock sentence for repeat offences and certain first offences

65AG: Alcohol interlock licence requirements

You could also call this:

“Rules for driving with an alcohol interlock device in your car”

An alcohol interlock licence is a special type of driver’s licence. If you have this licence, it replaces any other licence you had before. When you have an alcohol interlock licence, you can only drive vehicles that have an alcohol interlock device installed.

You can ask to change your alcohol interlock licence to a zero alcohol licence if you meet certain conditions. These conditions are:

  1. You’ve driven vehicles with an alcohol interlock device for at least 12 months.
  2. If you had to go to an assessment centre, you went and they said you’re fit to have a driver’s licence.
  3. In the last 6 months:
    • You didn’t try to drive when you had too much alcohol in your breath.
    • You didn’t commit certain offences.
    • You followed all the relevant rules.

If you voluntarily went to an assessment centre or a court told you to go, and they said you’re fit to have a driver’s licence, you might only need to wait 3 months instead of 6.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS61403.

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Part 6 Driving offences involving drink or drugs, and penalties and procedures
Mandatory alcohol interlock sentence for repeat offences and certain first offences

65AGAlcohol interlock licence requirements

  1. An alcohol interlock licence replaces any licence held by a person.

  2. An alcohol interlock licence requires a person holding it to drive only a motor vehicle or vehicles to which an alcohol interlock device is fitted.

  3. A person may apply under section 100A to replace an alcohol interlock licence with a zero alcohol licence if—

  4. every motor vehicle the person has driven for 12 months (or more) had an alcohol interlock device fitted and operating; and
    1. in relation to a person who is required to attend an assessment centre under section 65 (or any other section), the person has attended and been assessed as being a fit person to hold a driver licence; and
      1. during the previous 6 months, the person—
        1. has not attempted to drive while the person’s breath contained a proportion of alcohol above the level to which the device is set; and
          1. has not committed a qualifying offence or an offence against section 55A; and
            1. has complied with any relevant regulations made under this Act.

            2. The 6-month period referred to in subsection (3)(c) may be reduced to 3 months if the person has been assessed at an assessment centre (whether the attendance was voluntary or ordered by a court) as a fit person to hold a driver licence.

            Notes
            • Section 65AG: inserted, on , by section 26 of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 34).