Alcohol Detection Device Stops Drunk Person From Starting Vehicle

When combating drunk drivers on Kentucky highways law enforcement officials are often too late to stop intoxicated motorists from getting behind the wheel and putting themselves and others at risk of serious injury or death from a crash. The continued carnage on Kentucky highways from tragic accidents caused by drunk drivers is discouraging to even the most seasoned police veterans.

But what if a drunk driver could be stopped before they started their car? Now, thanks to a device being developed that can detect a driver’s alcohol level from the touch of the start button on the vehicle, highways may soon be much safer.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has teamed up with the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS) to “research, develop, and demonstrate non-invasive, in-vehicle alcohol detection technologies that can very quickly and accurately measure a driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BACs).”

The five-year, $10 million project known as Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADDS) aims to develop a fast, accurate, reliable and repeatable device that will prevent a vehicle from being driven when the driver’s BAC exceeds the legal limit.

Nationwide, as well as in Kentucky, it is illegal to drink and drive with a BAC of .08 or greater. The NHTSA reports that in 2009 alone, 10,839 people died in crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider was at or above the legal alcohol limit.

According to the Kentucky State Police, in Kentucky during 2010, there were a total of 4,762 collisions that were caused by drivers who were under the influence of alcohol, with 167 of those being fatal and 2,489 resulting in injuries.

A USA Today article reports that the Japanese company Takata, Inc. and the US-based company TruTouch have received a $2.25-million grant from ACTS to develop a device that is commercially viable and seamless to operate. The touch-based approach will be as accurate as a blood test for detecting a person’s BAC. 

The biggest challenges the developers face, according to DADSS, is in developing a technology that will “work each and every time, over the life of the vehicle, and in a variety of challenging environments,” and will anticipate the issue of drivers trying to circumvent or beat the system.

The goal of this development is to have a research vehicle available by the first half of 2013 that will demonstrate these technologies. It is expected to reach the commercial market in eight to 10 years. The device will be a voluntary feature on vehicles.

The Kentucky car accident attorneys at Frank Jenkins Law Office fully support advanced technologies that will keep drunk drivers off our roads. However, until this is available we continue to urge everyone to drive sober and to designate a driver if you have been drinking.