Wouldn’t it be great to have the ability to take the keys out of a drunk driver’s hand before they drive away and kill someone? Federal safety officials say that could soon be possible with new technology called the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety, or DADSS. According to reports, the technology works by measuring a driver’s blood-alcohol content by taking an airborne sample of breath after a person enters the driver’s seat and conducting a reading instantaneously.
Alternatively, the technology could measure the driver’s blood-alcohol level with a button that is pressed to start the car, which uses an infrared light to detect blood-alcohol content under the skin. If a blood-alcohol content above the legal limit is detected, the vehicle would not start. After the technology was demonstrated at an event earlier this month in Washington, D.C., the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it could be a safety option in vehicles as early as five years from now.
The administration head said drunk driving accidents claim a life every 58 minutes in the United States, but that rate could be reduced with this technology. The national president of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, who was also at the event, said the technology represents a future in which drunk drivers will not be able to activate their vehicles.
Anyone who has been involved in a car accident with a drunk driver or has lost a loved one in a drunk driving accident understands the importance of keeping people who are impaired off of the roads. Unfortunately, Irvine, California, has a high rate of accidents involving drunk drivers, and our law firm has helped many of these accident victims obtain the compensation that they deserve. We understand first-hand how devastating these accidents can be, which is why we hope that this technology is eventually successful at preventing them.
We invite you to review the strong recommendations of our clients and the legal industry as well as our successful verdicts and settlements and contact Rivers Morrell or call today to speak with Rivers personally for a free, substantive consultation at (949) 305-1400.
