Canberra's worst drink drivers will soon have alcohol interlocks fitted to their vehicles, as the government is expected to introduce tough new laws to crack down on repeat and high-range offenders on Thursday.
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Alcohol interlocks work by forcing drivers to provide a clean breath test before they are able to start their car, and are used widely interstate.
Drivers are also required to submit further breath samples at random times during their journey.
The interlocks, announced as a $1.7 million ACT election promise in September, would be compulsory for offenders with three or more convictions and those who record a high blood alcohol content of 0.15 or greater.
Drink drivers will have to pay about $1000 for the installation and maintenance of the devices, which work in cars, trucks and buses and on motorbikes.
The interlocks will also be voluntary for others convicted of a drink driving offence.
Attorney-General Simon Corbell said the devices allowed drink drivers to remain ''active community participants'' by allowing them to drive after serving just part of their licence disqualification.
"These are repeat or high-range drink driving offenders, drivers whose records show that they have an inability to separate their drinking and driving behaviours without assistance," Mr Corbell said.
Interlock technology was first developed about 1980 and most Australian jurisdictions, except for the ACT, have experimented with the devices since.
Several states, including Victoria, NSW, Queensland, the Northern Territory and South Australia, have schemes in place for serial drink driving offenders.
The option of using alcohol interlocks in the ACT was first raised in the 2008 discussion paper reviewing the territory's drink-driving and drug-driving legislation.
An exposure draft of the proposed interlock laws was released in August last year, and the government made a commitment to the scheme in September. Mr Corbell said the interlocks had a ''therapeutic component'', which helped drive prolonged changes in behaviour.
He said the scheme built on earlier reforms to crack down on drink drivers in the ACT.
Mr Corbell said the ACT had introduced mandatory alcohol awareness courses and had broadened the categories of licences subject to zero alcohol concentration limits.
Other reforms have included immediate licence suspensions for those who register 0.05 above the legal limit, and reducing the availability of restricted licences for drink drivers.
