Interlock Exemption Order
Interlock Exemption Order and Sober Driver Program
If you are convicted of:
- High Range PCA
- Refusal or Failure to Submit to Breath Analysis or the Taking of a Blood Sample
- Any Second or Subsequent drink driving related offence within a period of 5 years
and an Interlock Exemption Order has been made, you will be exempted from the requirement to complete a minimum period of participation in the Interlock program, under the NSW Mandatory Alcohol Interlock Program.
Instead, you will be required to complete:
- A licence disqualification period; and
- The Sober Driver Program, at your cost, before you can apply for your licence to return to driving.
What is the Sober Driver Program?
The Sober Driver Program is a therapeutic group program that specialises in changing the attitudes and behaviours of repeat and high risk drink drive offenders.
If you have been convicted of a high range, repeat or other serious drink driving offence and the Court has given you an Interlock exemption order, then you will be required to complete the Sober Driver Program.
This Program is delivered as one full (6 hour) day session per week for 3 consecutive weeks. It includes 18 hours of group work, plus there are in addition, 2 hours of take home tasks. The total time input required of you is therefore 20 hours.
Each of the 3 program days must be attended in sequence to successfully complete the program.
The Sober Driver Program is designed to help you:
- Understand the consequences of drink driving to yourself and others
- Understand the events and decisions that led to your offence
- Create and use strategies to prevent you from offending again
- Develop skills and positive attitudes for safe driving.
How to register for the Sober Driver Program
If you have an Interlock Exemption Order, but do not have a court supervisory order, you must register your requirement to complete the Sober Driver Program through the MTS Sober Driver Program website.
The cost of the program, which you will have to pay (unless you are suffering severe financial hardship), is currently $700.
If you have a court supervisory order in addition to your Interlock Exemption Order, you can complete the Sober Driver Program through Corrective Services NSW.
You should contact your local Community Corrections Office as soon as you receive your ‘Advice of Disqualification, Cancellation of Licence and Requirement to Undergo the Drink Driver Education Program’ letter issued by Roads and Maritime Services. When attending a Sober Driver Program delivered by Corrective Services, you will need a Roads and Maritime Services Certificate of Completion to be issued at the end. You should therefore inform your facilitator at the beginning of the program that you will require this.