The breathlyzer ignition lock has been around for years; several courts have mandated a "blow in" device for convicted DUI offenders' cars. Automotive News [sub] reports the web site www.dadss.org (DADSS = Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety) is soliciting ideas from technology developers for a passive system that will prevent the car from starting if it decides the driver's alcohol level is high enough to cause impairment. The automakers are already looking in that direction; last year Nissan featured a concept car with various air sniffers, sweat sensors and a facial monitoring system to deactivate the car's ignition if the driver had one too many. Obviously there's still a lot of work to do on the concept but experts estimate such a system could save 9k lives annually. They hope to have working prototypes within five years.
14 Comments on “Passive Breathlyzer Ignition Locks are Coming...”
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I can see where cars with this type of system are going to force people to resort to controlled substances that aren’t detectable to the system. I guess I should of never got rid of that bong I had in College.
The question is.. with the chill zone in my dodge will it shut the car off while i’m driving?
I guess we’ll see a lot more driverless vehicles idling in the bar’s parking lot, awaiting their owner’s return.
Dont sleep it off in the parking lot, I know Ohio and Virginia can charge you with physical control
which is almost as bad as a DUI and you will becuffed stuffed and go through the legal system and can be charged in your own driveway,They can also charge you in Ohio if intoxicated in the vicinity of a car if you have the keys on you because you are able to drive it if you wanted to
One more thing to go wrong and make my car a driveway sized paper weight.
They can also charge you in Ohio if intoxicated in the vicinity of a car if you have the keys on you because you are able to drive it if you wanted to
That is so wrong. I thought that in any decent system, people could only be charged with either crimes committed or with intent to commit said crime (i.e. you’re caught in the preparation of it).
It happened to a friend of mine is how I know he went out to get some a couple of cds out of the car in his brothers driveway, while rummaging around they pulled up and yanked him out of the car and arrested him for physical control and towed his car in it cost him a couple of thousand and he was never behind the wheel of a car drinking
For these – “yanked in your driveway” scenarios – I believe you generally also have to have the keys readily available. A friend of mine who is a cop suggested tossing the keys in the trunk if you were going to try to sleep it off – thus it wouldn’t be reasonable to assume that you were going to drive somewhere….
I believe the term is “care and control” of the vehicle. Of course this is in Canada, so the laws may differ in the US.
He did have the keys because he had to open the car,But what a crazy way to get arrested, I mean he was going back in the house,These laws are about revenue not public safety,DC is worse they have a zero tolerance if you blow a .03 you are in serious trouble there
FINANCEGUY:
These laws are about revenue not public safety,DC is worse they have a zero tolerance if you blow a .03 you are in serious trouble there
I think they’ve backpedaled a bit on that due to negative publicity and push-back from the restaurant and bar industry. It was mostly a revenue grab targeting the working class.
http://www.reason.com/news/show/122456.html
And a note to all ‘zero-tolerance’ fans out there – DC is somewhat famous for light sentences for those who actually harm others…
ihatetrees
I read that article, I googled DUI laws to see what was out there,Dont get me wrong if you are
hammered and driving you deserve what you get but
to me some of these laws are crazy.at least my buddy could afford a lawyer and got most of it reduced except for the failure to control his vehicle he wasnt driving and was not going to drive and he said those without lawyers got their
asses handed to them
FINANCEGUY:
those without lawyers got their
asses handed to them
Yeah. Pay into the “system” and you get a deal – because you’ve shown (thru an attorney) that you’ve got the juice to waste a lot of (expensive) court time.
Don’t get me wrong. DWI is serious. But going after the 0.05% BAC crowd is not the answer.
DUI is a real money maker for everyone, expect to see this along with GPS nanny controls soon. using GPS they could alert authorities when you arrive at a bar and they can be waiting for you when you leave.
Ain’t technology grand?
I will simply NOT purchase a car with one of these systems – what if the car decides to shut off based on a combination of factors, even if I’m not drunk. Scary.