Toyota Creating In-Vehicle Alcohol Detection System

srizah writes "Toyota is developing an Alcohol Detection System that can detect drunken drivers and would immobilize the car when it detects excessive alcohol consumption. From the article: 'Cars fitted with the detection system will not start if sweat sensors in the driving wheel detect high levels of alcohol in the driver's bloodstream, according to a report carried by the mass-circulation daily, Asahi Shimbun. The system could also kick in if the sensors detect abnormal steering, or if a special camera shows that the driver's pupils are not in focus. The car is then slowed to a halt, the report said.'"

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[User 956]

Toyota is developing an Alcohol Detection System that can detect drunken drivers and would immobilize the car when it detects excessive alcohol consumption.

Something tells me they won't be selling these in Ireland. or Boston.

Re:Imagine if this malnfunctioned on the freeway

[toadlife]

By your posts I would guess you either had someone close to you killed in an alcohol related death....or you are a Mormon, so posting this is probably pointless, but...

I'm was not talking about getting drunk Mr. holier-than-thou-with-an-obvious-ax-to-grind.

Now go back to your Elks/Rotary/Boy Scout Club meeting and discuss what other morality you'd like to legislate.

Where's the War On ... ?

[serutan]

Since the 9/11 attacks more than 100,000 Americans have been killed by drunk drivers, who have been causing a 9/11 death toll every 2 months since about 1960. But I've never heard of anyone high up in politics proposing a $300 billion War On Drunken Idiots. Penalties and counseling don't seem to have done the job. Maybe we could make a dent in the problem by spending a couple Smart-Bombs worth of money on technology such as this. I imagine an array of sensors -- sweat, vapor, maybe a reaction time test. Or how about a fingerprint scanner mounted under the far left side of the dashboard? Some governments are moving toward requiring GPS units in cars on the shaky premise of more accurate highway tax collection. If they want to impose surveillance technology on people, I would think that the potential to save thousands of lives every year would at least be more convincing.

Re:Imagine if this malnfunctioned on the freeway

[DigitalRaptor]

I've read the thread, but just because the driver didn't have alcohol personally, doesn't mean alcohol didn't play a role.

A drunk walks into the street and gets nailed by someone sober, the alcohol directly played a role.

The designated driver is really tired and distracted from babysitting his drunk friends all night and misses a red light, the alcohol directly played a role.

It seems like half the people replying in this thread get so caught up in the difference between 17,000 and say 15,000 if that is the real number, that they lose touch with just how big of a number that really is.

Even if it's only 10,000 people, that's more than died in Pearl Harbor, 9/11, and the Iraq war combined. And that many die every single year.

So pardon me if I don't dismiss the whole frickin' number over semantics.