There have probably been a few times when you were over the legal alcohol limit but you drove yourself home anyway. There is a reason for that limit which is to prevent drunk driving, but sometimes we can’t be bothered to follow the rules. This is where the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is stepping in.
The government agency has recently revealed a piece of technology that can be installed in cars. Dubbed the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS), what this does is that it scans you for alcohol and when it detects that you’re over the limit, it won’t let you drive. At the moment there are two options, one of which is like a breathalyzer installed on your steering wheel that can “smell” your breath even if you’re not close to it.
The other are sensors embedded into the steering wheel that can detect your blood alcohol levels when you place your hands/fingers on it. That being said this isn’t the first time that such safety measures have been introduced, but it does showcase some variety of it. However the NHTSA states that they will not require automakers to introduce those systems in their cars, but they’re hoping that people will find them useful enough to install it themselves.
According to Mark Rosekind who heads the NHTSA, “DADSS has enormous potential to prevent drunk driving in specific populations such as teen drivers and commercial fleets, and making it an option available to vehicle owners would provide a powerful new tool in the battle against drunk driving deaths.”
Filed in . Read more about Legal.