District residents convicted of drunken driving for the first time might soon be able to restore their driving privileges faster by installing ignition interlock systems on their vehicles.

The devices require a driver to provide a breath sample with a blood-alcohol level below 0.025 percent (the DUI threshold in the city is 0.08) before a vehicle will start. Some 250,000 of the devices are in use across the country, and studies show they have reduced repeat conviction rates by up to 90 percent.