Drunk drivers are one of the main causes of car accidents, and the world would definitely benefit without them around. However, right now there’s nothing to stop these irresponsible folk from getting into a car after having one too many drinks at a party. Road blocks and fines may be effective deterrents, but the police can’t possibly set up check points on every single street, every night in hopes of catching these people.
Well, the folks over at Takata Corporation of Japan have teamed up with TruTouch Technologies (the people behind the TruTouch 2000) to create an in-car detection device which can tell if the driver is too drunk to drive. Using infrared technology, it will check the driver’s blood alcohol level through the skin of the finger, and if his/her alcohol level is too high – the car won’t start at all, rendering it immobile. The device has been envisioned to be part of the button that starts the car to ensure that the drivers won’t forget to check their alcohol level.
While it doesn’t get rid of drunk people in the world, it does keep them from being behind the wheel of a vehicle when they’re under the influence. Takata and TruTouch hope to get the cost of the device down to approximately $200 so that it can be affordable enough for everyone to adopt and manufacturers to include in their cars.