Government officials have given a tentative thumbs up to a
new technology for cars that would render the concept of driving while drunk a
non-starter — literally.
On Friday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and
David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
were on hand when researchers publicly demonstrated a car-embeddable sensor
system that cleverly locks down the engine if it detects that the driver’s
blood alcohol level was above the legal limit.
Through the use of strategically placed sensors in places
like the steering wheel and door locks, the North America Driver Alcohol
Detection Systems for Safety, created by QinetiQ, a research facility in
Waltham, Massachusetts, would analyze a driver’s skin or breath to determine a
driver’s level of intoxication.
The system is being promoted as an alternative to alcohol
ignition interlock systems that force drivers to blow into a breathalyzer type
device before the car can be started. The cumbersome ignition systems are
sometimes used by drivers as part of a DUI conviction.
After the demonstration, Strickland and LaHood gave a
positive, yet cautious, assessment of the technology:
And since the system will likely fall under the optional
category for automakers, the technology must prove itself to be reliable enough
to not mistakenly prevent the more sober folks from starting their cars to have
any hope of being adopted by the masses.
The systems would not be employed unless they are “seamless,
unobtrusive and unfailingly accurate,” Strickland told the Associated Press.
A test showed that a 20-something year-old woman weighing
120 pounds had a blood alcohol content level of .06, just below the legal limit
of .08, after drinking two 1 1/2 ounce glasses of vodka and orange juice about
a half hour apart.
Even if the technology is perfected, it’ll still be a tough
sell. Freedom and the means to move about freely are cherished American values.
So my guess is that there are very few people who would readily embrace the
technology because of the off-chance that a slight malfunction would cause them
to be late or, at worst, stuck somewhere.
But with an increasingly greater awareness of the dangers of
drunk driving, the promise of such a system shows that technological solutions
are in place should the tide turn.
Article Credit: www.smartplanet.com
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