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U.S. cars mandated to spot drunk drivers -- and stop them

29 Comments
By Joshua MELVIN

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29 Comments
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Good. There is nothing much more selfish than drunk driving. People KNOW they can cause injury and death by being inebriated when operating a tonne+ of metal. Not too long before the car drives such selfish idiots straight to the cop shop.

8 ( +15 / -7 )

One step closer to Cybernet taking over the world.

-6 ( +7 / -13 )

They should also make penalties stricter for DUI.

Permanent loss of license, mandatory minimum 30 day jail sentences and 4 - 5 figure fines.

Then people will really start getting the message.

9 ( +15 / -6 )

It's about time!

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

They should also make penalties stricter for DUI.

Permanent loss of license, mandatory minimum 30 day jail sentences and 4 - 5 figure fines.

This wont stop drunk drivers in the states, as many drive without a license anyway. 30 day jail sentences are a slap on the wrist.

They should be forced to stay in jail and work off their fines, at a set amount per day, until not only fines, but court costs, and any damages are paid off as well!

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

How about if you have had one too many and you ask someone to drive you home in your own car. From the info above the sober driver will be unable to start the car (nor will the drunk passenger).

1 ( +8 / -7 )

simple rule-if you drive dont drink-worked always best.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Good. Less danger on the road.

@SimonB: Yeah man, they'll invest all this R&D time and money and NOT have that angle covered, for sure. DOH!

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

I had an uncle that, unfortunately, I never really knew because he was killed by a drunk driver when I was young. If this system can help keep them off the road and save lives, great. Even people who never mean to drive intoxicated can have significantly impaired judgement and think "sure, just this one time will be fine".

@SimonB

The article accounts for that in both the breath test example and the touch sensor, neither could be triggered by the passenger even if they reach over and touch the ignition button.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

No thanks. I'll stick to my little low-tech k-trucks.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Once again a techno-fix against a social problem that comes with as much new problems as it solves. It seems there was a lot of virtue signalling and very little serious consideration involved in making this law.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Somehow I see these sensors in taxis as a way discouraging customer abuse.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

This will add more time to starting a car. Hard to escape an emergency or to get to one when your car takes longer to start.

How about something instead that prevents you from using your phone unless hands free? More deaths are caused by distraction than drunk driving.

Please feel free to google the facts.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

People are already working on fake fingers to fool these devices.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I guess those who drink and drive won't be buying new cars...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Artist

How about something instead that prevents you from using your phone unless hands free? More deaths are caused by distraction than drunk driving.

Totally agree. Now that is a huge issue, especially in Japan. I ride a motorcycle and notice with horror how many drivers are looking at their ketais when stopped the traffic light.... not assured that these addicts will put it down while moving.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Assuming that this new technology is not going to be retrofitted to older cars then it will take a long time to filter through the system as a whole. For example, and I'm not advocating this but, if I'm going to drink and drive I'll take the old truck and leave the new car at home.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

 I ride a motorcycle 

One of the best ways to sober up on a cold night.

Only joking and certainly not recommending it but when I was a biker 50 years ago I may have experienced that once or twice in the frozen and quiet countryside of northern England. Still have the scars and a slight limp.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

LOL, using hand sanitizers in your car can trigger this lock since hand sanitizers are 70% alcohol.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Will this system refuse to start the car of a designated sober driver with a carload of, um, drunk passengers? Driver is cold sober but car smells like a brewery inside, nobody is going nowhere. I bought a used van a year and a half ago or so to avoid the Federally required collision avoidance systems that brake the car automatically if it thinks you are too close to something. Now this. I am also leery of tech that can wear/break and is going to be difficult and time consuming (meaning expensive) to troubleshoot and repair. Example, an intermittent check engine light on a car that three shops have not been able to figure out. They say it's fixed but down the road the same code pops up over and over again. No thank you. More good reasons to keep my existing analog cars in good condition.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The problem is that these sorts of systems will never stay ahead of the methods to spoof them (say placing an alcohol soaked pad over the sensor so that when it initializes and calibrated to the baseline, even a person who's blood alcohol is in the toxic range won't be able to cause a rise in the reading of the sensor, or the use of a prosthetic extra finger to push the button)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

You know what’s an even better method of preventing drunk driving? A robust and modern public transit system. No need to worry about your BAC when you can just hop on a bus or train. Reducing the reliance on cars in the American transit system should be the goal.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

This will never fly in 'Merica. It's an affront on their freedumb.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

This would be great in the UK for the taxi companies, and Uber.

No one would be able to drive their own car Friday through Sunday afternoon.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

You know what’s an even better method of preventing drunk driving? A robust and modern public transit system. 

I doubt it. Asian and European cities have concentrated public transit and it doesn't prevent DUI arrests and traffic collisions. In the Navy we had a program that if any squadron member was out in town and drank too much, they could call a cab and the squadron would pay the fare, no questions asked. We still had sailors arrested for DUI.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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