Alcohol Detection Sensors Could Be The Next Big Controversial Safety Feature Required In Every New Car

Alcohol Detection Sensor Car Image Credit

Alcohol Detection Sensors Could Be The Next Big Controversial Safety Feature Required In Every New Car.

The government is working on laws that would require new cars to be equipped with breath or touch sensors that can detect when a driver is impaired by alcohol. In order to make roadways safer, the technology would render a car undrivable if a blood alcohol level of more than .08 % is detected. The development is already started.

In 2019, more than 10,000 people died in collisions involving an alcohol-impaired driver, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to the report, this accounts for nearly 30% of all road deaths. To that purpose, it's collaborating with a group of automakers to build the above-mentioned safety gadget.

The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety program is the name given to the collaboration between the automakers, and it is working on a number of potential solutions. Breath analyzers and infrared touch sensors are both being considered for future production automobiles. If testing yields an illegal B.A.C. (blood alcohol level), each of them would be able to disable the car.

Even if some exploits are made, this will undoubtedly reduce the number of drunk driving incidents, accidents, and arrests across the country. Schneider, a truck safety technology business, aims to conduct testing for the current DADDS in-vehicle alcohol detection system later this year.

The new technology must "passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately detect whether the driver may be impaired," according to the NHTSA's exact phrasing. When compared to a breathalyzer, touch sensors would be far less intrusive.

Those who believe this is overly intrusive have expressed their unhappiness. From the viewpoint of a car enthusiast, it seems self-evident that keeping impaired people off the road is only a positive thing. Of course, no technology works 100 percent of the time, so even the soberest of people might occasionally find up with a paperweight instead of an automobile.

The technology might be mandated in all new cars as early as 2026, and it's only one of many new technologies the NHTSA is examining for future demands. Another option is intelligent speed aid, which sounds far less appealing. Take a look at the following propositions.

hs