Topic: Feature: In-car alcohol detection system

[Autos_Editor]

Researchers are working on a new alcohol detection system designed to stop impaired driving before it starts, reports Jil McIntosh.

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[tpl]

“It can’t do .0799, it must do .08 and that’s an incredible level of specificity,” Newton said. “As far as stopping the car when you’re driving down the road, that’s one of the limitations that’s being looked at, and it might be a limitation of the technology, such as a driver going beyond .08 when they’re operating the car. They could be .0799 when they start and a few minutes later they cross over, and how do you handle that?

I can just imagine legislators saying...forget the accuracy just allow +/- whatever the manufacturer can manage.
With all the other things mentioned in the article and otherwise obvious.  Possibility of driver being sober, passenger being drunk, Having to work from say -40C to +40C. in humidity from a few % to 100%. Drivers with gloves.  Finally having to be hack proof.

 As for stopping the car while it is in motion...that should pay for some lawyers all right.

One thing tho', I suspect. It will have to be so integrated into the cars systems that it will be impossible to retrofit and that will be good for the 2nd hand car dealers.

One of those ideas like world peace and stopping poverty that is just plain silly.    Saving 8000 lives and many, many injuries each year on a planet with nearly 7 Billion people on it is just fiddling with the background noise 

[blur911]

One of those ideas like world peace and stopping poverty that is just plain silly.    Saving 8000 lives and many, many injuries each year on a planet with nearly 7 Billion people on it is just fiddling with the background noise 

Watch out, with words like that you'll get a MADD hit squad looking for you.

If it saves just one life...

[safristi]

All i got was this lousy T shirt........... ..PRO HIC BITION man.........

[canuckystan]

Background noise?  At an average of $1 million per fatal insurance payout, that's $8 billion for the fatals, and I'm sure at least double that for all the injuries (that we all pay through higher rates).  Not to mention the absolute misery for the families who lose loved ones in an instant because of a drunk driver.

I applaud these efforts.  Sad that the same sort of people who opposed seat belts, opposed airbags, opposed anti-lock brakes even, have to come out against this technology, which I see as an active safety feature to prevent someone side-swiping me (or my kids) out of nowhere.

I predict that once it is introduced there will be a lot of sound and fury, but after a few years, it will be a feature that people actually look for in a new car purchase (if you have kids or ever loan your car to anyone, it would be nice to know it won't start if the person is over the limit).

[dash]

canuckystan, I won't dispute your #'s nor do I condone drinking and driving, the problem is, no amount of legislation will ever replace common sense. Year by year the ‘nanny state’ is taking over to the point where we will not have to think on our own. 
People have to learn to take full responsibility for their actions.

[Triple Bob]

canuckystan, I won't dispute your #'s nor do I condone drinking and driving, the problem is, no amount of legislation will ever replace common sense. Year by year the ‘nanny state’ is taking over to the point where we will not have to think on our own. 
People have to learn to take full responsibility for their actions.

[kirm]

canuckystan, I won't dispute your #'s nor do I condone drinking and driving, the problem is, no amount of legislation will ever replace common sense. Year by year the ‘nanny state’ is taking over to the point where we will not have to think on our own. 
People have to learn to take full responsibility for their actions.

EXACTLY! You can't legislate love for your fellowman/women. Stop trying.