A Japanese company, Takata, has partnered with American business partner TruTouch to create a new device in the fight against drunk driving. Their collaborative effort has recently been recognized by the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, which has provided them a grant totaling $2.25 million to make the product available commercially.
The companies hope to make the device small enough to be placed on the start button in vehicles. Currently, it is about the size of a breadbox. It is also expected to be less invasive than a breathalyzer and less costly, with a projected selling price of around $200 per unit. Another goal is for the device to instantly detect alcohol levels in the skin at several different temperatures and humidity levels.
The device uses an infrared sensor to detect blood-alcohol content ("BAC") at the touch of a button, and would refuse to allow a car to start -- in the same fashion as breathalyzers currently in use -- if it detects an individual's BAC as being above the legal limit. However, unlike the breathalyzer, the device is as accurate as a blood test.
Recent data culled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") indicates that approximately 11,000 people died in DUI-related accidents in 2009, which equates to about 32 percent of all traffic fatalities in that year. NHTSA officials endorse the voluntary installation of the DUI-detection device in new cars once it becomes available.
Safety officials' enthusiasm is only slightly diminished by this projection: Further development of the technology required to get the device to market is expected to take up to 10 years.
Related Resource: USA Today, "Anti-DUI device detects alcohol levels through skin" Sept. 28, 2011
