New High Tech Device Brings Drunk Driving to a Halt

Trooper ticketing motorist

Photo Credit: Interceptor Ignition Interlocks, Inc.

It’s not your average breathalyzer. It’s a device whose time has come, although, it does smack of Big Brother. But, let’s face it. People who drive drunk need a big brother to stop them before they hurt themselves and others.
According to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 32 people in the United States die every day in motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver – that’s one death every 45 minutes. Roughly one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) are repeat offenders.
The new device, called “Interceptor,” is a BAIID – short for Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device – and it promises to be a useful tool in reducing those sad numbers.
The Interceptor BAIID is a product of collaboration between Interceptor Ignition Interlocks, Inc. and AT&T and it’s a happy marriage of several technologies: GPS, wireless, Internet and breath analyzer.
Here’s how it works: The device is installed on the dashboard of the car owned by a driver convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) and ordered by the court to have such a device.
The driver must breathe into the device and pass an instant breathalyzer test before the ignition will start the car. The driver’s name, date, time, breathalyzer reading, photo and current GPS location are immediately transmitted, via AT&T wireless, to the appropriate probation or court Web site in real-time, enabling the monitoring probation team to view vehicle activity 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Once the driver is on the move, he/she must take random rolling retests to make sure he/she didn't start drinking after that initial test. An automated voice tells the driver when to take the test.
If the driver fails any of the random rolling tests, he/she is ordered by an automated voice prompt to pull over to the curb, within 40 seconds, if that’s safely possible. If the driver doesn’t pull over and stop the car, an automated system will deliver another recorded voice prompt.
After all that, if the driver does not shut off the vehicle’s engine, the Interceptor triggers a series of events:
• The car’s lights flash.
• The car’s horn is activated continuously.
(These warn other drivers to steer clear of the drunk driver.)
• The local 911 police emergency response dispatcher is alerted via a central information portal.
• The dispatcher directs police to intercept the targeted vehicle immediately.
The Interceptor device is typically court-ordered for drivers who have a previous DUI conviction.
The Interceptor can also be used proactively by private businesses such as taxi, limousine and trucking companies to monitor all commercially licensed drivers.
Teenage drivers can also be monitored by parents and guardians using a “parental control” option.
You may be wondering: Is there a way to get around this system? What if the driver asks his/her sober friend in the passenger seat to take the test instead?
The device contains a camera that snaps a shot of the whole car at the time of each test. There’s no fooling the device.
Drivers are cautioned not to use mouthwash, cologne, certain air fresheners or anything that has alcohol in it because it could compromise the results.
For more information, visit:
http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800&cdvn=news&newsar...
http://rochester.ynn.com/content/top_stories/500112/-i-tech-beat---...
http://breathalyzerinterlocks.com/interceptor-v3-breath-alcohol-ana...