Advanced Drunk Driving Prevention Technology
Imagine a world without drunk driving…Ten thousand fewer families would get the call or visit from law enforcement letting them know their loved one isn’t coming home, hundreds of thousands of people would not be injured, families would remain together and intact, and our country would save $132 billion in costs each year.
Now, that world is possible. A generation ago it would have sounded absurd that inflatable bags of air would help protect us in a car crash; now, every new car has them. Today’s cars can parallel park themselves and have anti-theft sensors that can shut down the engine. Tomorrow’s cars will protect our families from drunk driving by automatically determining whether or not the driver is above the legal limit of .08 BAC and failing to operate if the driver is impaired.
Using Technology to Keep Families Safe
In 2006, MADD, the government, traffic safety advocates and members of the automotive industry created a panel to encourage and support the development of new technology that would stop drivers from operating a vehicle if drunk. The concept was passive technology that would be totally transparent to you and me. It would only come into play if someone tries to drive above a .08 BAC.
There are several technologies being studied, including a touch-based system that can read your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) through your fingertips and an air-sampling system that can test and isolate just the air exhaled by the driver. These systems are well on their way to being tested in real vehicles. MADD has challenged the auto industry to move quickly to develop these technologies to start saving lives.