In-car alcohol detections systems have been talked about for years, but new advances in technology are making them much more feasible than ever before. Should these systems be mandatory in all vehicles? What about the privacy concerns - should they even be legal?
In-car alcohol detection systems center around four technologies:
1. Sniffers. Automakers are currently testing in-car "sniffers" that can detect trace amounts of alcohol in the air. If these sensors are placed correctly, they can usually determine if the person behind the wheel is drunk.
2. Skin sensors. Because trace amounts of alcohol "soak into" a drunk person's skin, sensors in the steering wheel and shift knob can be used to determine if the driver is drunk. A company called TruTouch has even developed a sensor that could someday be hidden in a vehicle armrest.
3. Facial recognition. Using a camera pointed at the driver's face, automakers have been able to determine when someone is drunk by tracking eye and facial movements and then comparing them to how the vehicle is being driven.
4. Behavior patterns. Drunk drivers tend to have certain patterns they use when driving - the way they use the steering, accelerator, and brake is often similar. The engine computer could monitor these inputs and use them to help determine if a driver is drunk.
While all four of these technologies have flaws - sniffers can be fooled by drunk passengers, skin sensors can be fooled by alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and facial and behavior recognition needs calibration - the fact is that it would be very hard to trick all four of these systems at the same time.
It's estimated that there will be a working prototype by 2013 that will be able to detect a drunk driver quickly and accurately. The questions are:
1. Should this system be mandatory?
2. What about privacy concerns?
3. Will this data be stored, and if so, could it be retrieved later? Insurance companies, for example, might use this data to influence rates. Is that OK?
4. Is this a safety feature, or big brother?
Vote and discuss by following the link.
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