New blood alcohol sensing technology may just cause cars to shut off if they find drivers to be over the allowed blood alcohol limit.
A recent video was published on YouTube this Thursday which showcases the new technology known as DADSS (Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety). These touch-based and breath-based sensors could very soon be installed in vehicles.
In the case of either sensors, if a driver’s blood alcohol is more than .08, the legal limit, the car will not move. This breath based system will be able to measure alcohol molecules in a driver’s breath.
The touch based system will use near-infrared tissue spectroscopy to detect blood alcohol levels. The system will pinpoint the driver’s blood alcohol level with the help of technology that allows it to measure the light’s intensity.
In both cases, if the drivers BAC level crosses .08, the car will not move.
The NHTSA website claims that this program is a joint partnership between the NHTSA and the ACTS in order to prevent drivers with BAC’s of more than 0.08%.
As per their website, this program began all the way back in 2008.
A recent news release from the NHTSA said that they were joining with members from the Congress, industry representatives and safety advocates at the United States Department of Transportation to highlight the advances this technology has made this Thursday. This event also featured the unveiling of a vehicle that was equipped with a mock-up DADSS system which will allow researchers to examine the interactions of various drivers with the mock device.
The NHTSA administrator, Mark Rosekind said that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. But as long as they are getting the support of Congress and the industry, they will be able to achieve much more than they already have. They have already achieved some key development and research milestones and nothing’s going to stand in their way now.
