A west suburban man has been issued traffic citations for an accident caused by his Breath Alcohol Interlock Ignition Device — but not while he was intoxicated.
Riverside police say 19-year-old Jesus De-Dios was driving southbound of Harlem at Addison Road in Riverside on Wednesday when he ran a red light and hit another vehicle.
De-Dios told police he was breathing into his BAIID device -- which is supposed to read a driver’s blood-alcohol content before allowing the vehicle to start -- at the time of the accident. While doing so, he ran the red light at Addison and struck the vehicle in front of him, according to a statement from police.
But De-Dios was not intoxicated at the time of the accident, police said.
"The breath alcohol interlock device is not meant to be used while driving but rather when the car is started," Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel said in the statement.
"If the device required him to intermittently blow into the unit, he should have curbed his vehicle to safely conduct this process. It should be obvious that you are not supposed to blow into the unit while you are driving, much less on a busy roadway like Harlem Avenue," the chief said.
The driver of the other vehicle was transported to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn with neck and back pain.
De-Dios was issued citations for disobeying a traffic control device and driving too fast for conditions.
