Home › Traffic & driving › Interlock orders
The whole idea in one picture
An interlock order follows a drink-driving conviction. You get your licence back only with a device fitted — at your own cost, for months or years.
The device is an in-car breath tester wired to the ignition — and it shapes your driving for the whole order:
Interlocks have shifted from optional to mandatory in most states. A court will usually impose one when:
How it works where you are
Under the Road Transport Act, for mid and high-range, repeat, and refusal offences.
Unlike an offence, there's nothing to "defend" here — but in narrow cases you can apply to be excused. Courts rarely grant it:
A condition that genuinely prevents you using the device.
You don't have a car to fit the device to.
Considered only in limited cases — and seldom granted.
Most courts will not waive an interlock order, even for hardship.
The length of the order, and the rare grounds for exemption, are worth getting advice on before sentencing. We can point you to traffic lawyers in your state.
Read this first
This page explains how interlock orders generally work — it can't tell you what will happen in your case. The triggers, periods and costs vary by state and territory. If you're facing a drink-driving charge, talk to a traffic lawyer before your court date so you know whether an interlock applies.
