05/14/2019

Someday Soon, We All May Have to Prove That We’re Sober Before Starting a Motor Vehicle

Source: Fleet Management Weekly

To prevent drunken driving, a newly-designed universal built-in ignition interlock device would make an instantaneous and precise reading of every driver’s blood alcohol level (BAC) when the driver attempts to start the vehicle.

The device would take BAC samples in one of two ways. A breath-based system would gather a whiff of a driver’s ambient breath. A touch-based system would analyze the touch of a driver’s finger, perhaps from a vehicle’s starter button or the steering wheel.

It would effectively take away the keys by preventing the vehicle from starting.

Officials behind the public-private effort to develop the technology — known as the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety — say the device will be ready for commercial fleets next year.

Read the article at The Washington Post.