Could Technology Detect a Drunk Driver

Irving based Smart Start has the latest device for alcohol ignition interlock systems.  Someone with the device has to blow into a tube, and if that person is under the legal limit, the car will start.  If they are over the legal limit, the car won’t turn on. But new technology being developed could take […]

Irving based Smart Start has the latest device for alcohol ignition interlock systems.  Someone with the device has to blow into a tube, and if that person is under the legal limit, the car will start.  If they are over the legal limit, the car won’t turn on. But new technology being developed could take alcohol detection to another level.

“One is an infrared device, which literally with infrared technology, would be able to read the alcohol content of their breath.  The other is sensors that are place on the vehicle’s steering wheel that again, through the hands, would be able to tell exactly what their blood alcohol level is,” said Jeff Miracle with Mothers against Drunk Driving.

The technology is still in the development and testing phase right now, so it is probably five to eight years away from showing up in new cars, said Miracle.

Supporters of the DADSS system said it could save thousands of lives, but those with the American Beverage Institute said the focus should be on drunk drivers, not all Americans who get behind the wheel.