North Carolina Certification Confirms Monitech's Continuing Service to State's Drivers

MORRISVILLE, N.C., Aug. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- North Carolina's Division of Motor Vehicles has approved Monitech, Inc. as the state's first North Carolina-based provider of ignition interlock systems. With North Carolina's certification, Monitech is now a certified provider with statewide service center coverage that meets the state's 2011 program standards.

Certification under the new program standards marks the 23rd consecutive year that Monitech has been certified to provide service in North Carolina. Monitech maintains 27 service centers across the state making it capable of offering remote service calls anywhere in North Carolina. 

The Monitech device is the most sophisticated in the industry.  The proprietary Monitech fuel cell – unique to Monitech's devices – protects users from false positives by only reacting to the presence of ethanol, the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages. The Monitech device also offers other advanced features, such as talking to the user in English and Spanish, and advanced remote service overrides, which allow entry of a lockout code to temporarily extend service appointments after lockout. This feature prevents the extra cost of a tow bill or service call.

According to the NCDMV, the safety of North Carolina's motoring public is the primary factor in the decision to certify an ignition interlock system provider. To become state certified, the provider must meet the standards of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as well as those established by the state. All testing must be completed in qualified laboratories and approved by the NCDMV.

"We have certified Monitech to meet our newer, stringent ignition interlock standards which are among the toughest in the country," said NCDMV Commissioner Michael D. Robertson.

Monitech customer care, engineering, software development and manufacturing are operated out of its Morrisville headquarters. In addition, the company's trained and certified field technicians are based within 50 miles of any citizen, enabling Monitech to provide quick and localized assistance. The company, which currently employs 80 staff members in the state, expects to continue hiring in several key technical areas.

"We treat every customer as an individual. Our goal is to help customers understand the process and to be there supporting them every step of the program as they regain their driving privileges," said Chief Executive Officer, John Stump. "We serve our customers by restoring their freedom to drive safely and responsibly, and we focus on serving our fellow North Carolinians by providing critical protection against impaired driving."

About Monitech, Inc.: Monitech, Inc. provides fully integrated services – manufacturing, installation, service, and comprehensive monitoring and reporting of ignition interlock devices.  Monitech partnered with the state of North Carolina in 1989 to create the state's original ignition interlock program. For more than 20 years, Monitech's North Carolina team has worked to meet and exceed the needs of the state, and it has done so through extensive experience in working with law enforcement, the courts, the NCDMV (North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles) and those convicted of drinking and driving. Today, Monitech serves customers from all 100 counties in North Carolina, and it does so through industry-leading technology, a statewide network of service centers and a team of full-time certified technicians located within 50 miles of any North Carolina citizen. The company currently employs 80 North Carolina residents. Monitech was recently acquired by LSH, a company with extensive knowledge and expertise in the ignition interlock industry. LSH also owns LifeSafer, a separate ignition interlock company that is not active in North Carolina. For more information, visit the company's website at www.monitechnc.com.

About Ignition Interlocks: The ignition interlock system requires drivers to provide a clean breath sample before starting their vehicle. Drivers must provide subsequent tests throughout the duration of their drive to prove the absence of alcohol in their bloodstream. North Carolina law currently mandates drivers who have been convicted of driving while impaired (DWI) with an alcohol concentration of 0.15 or more, or have been convicted of impaired driving twice within the last seven years, to install an Ignition Interlock Systems (IIS). The NCDMV (North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles) limits the convicted driver to a vehicle equipped with a functioning breath alcohol ignition interlock device (BAIID) supplied by a certified BAIID provider. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, for the period when ignition interlocks are installed in an offender's vehicle, rates of DWI recidivism are reduced an average of 64 percent. As a result, the use of ignition interlocks has grown rapidly in many states, and several now require their use for all drivers convicted of a DWI (0.08 alcohol concentration level or higher).

SOURCE Monitech, Inc.