With news that every driver should pay attention to, Swedish company Autoliv has announced they are working on an in-car breathalyzer that works automatically to keep drivers from getting behind the wheel when they’re drunk.
Autoliv CEO Jan Carlson, when interviewed, said that the new technology “should be seamless. You should not notice the car has an alcohol detection device in it.”
The product is at least five years away from actually being installed in vehicles, though if it can do what Autoliv says it can, there’s no doubt that it will be an instant success. As for price, it’s still unknown whether the technology will be affordable or not.
Carlson hopes that if it turns out to be affordable, the new system will become especially prevalent in areas where technology like this isn’t as commonplace. Approximately 30 percent of all auto related fatalities are caused by drivers being under the influence and Carlson says that “when you talk to parents with teenage daughters and sons they would love to have this device in the vehicle.”
And concerned parents are just the tip of the iceberg. It wouldn’t be a stretch, for example, to imagine insurance companies offering discounts to drivers who agree to install the new system in their vehicles. And, if the final product doesn’t break the bank, it could also help drivers who may have had a glass of wine with dinner or a couple of drinks from being unjustly accused.
AUG
