AN ALCOHOL TEST INSTALLED IN THE CAR PREVENTS STARTING THE VEHICLE IF BLOOD-ALCOHOL LEVEL IS TOO HIGH. IT’S CALLED DADSS AND COULD BECOME A STANDARD SAFETY DEVICE IN 2016

An alcohol test installed in the car prevents starting the vehicle in case excessive blood alcohol level is detected. The system is called DADSS - Drive Alcohol Detection System for Safety, and the NHTSA - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the American road safety agency would like it to become a standard safety device. The testing phase that began in 2008 and was carried out together with 17 car manufacturers will end next year and the DADSS for Safety could be on the market at a price that today the NHTSA estimates around 400 US dollars.
How does it work? An article in the magazine "Auto" (www.auto.it) explained the system.
Two detectors read the blood-alcohol level. One uses the traditional breathalyzer system (on the door or behind the wheel) and the other is an infrared device, on which you place a finger and it takes a reading of the concentration of alcohol under the skin. This detector analyzes the alcohol in the capillaries.
It begins by sending an infrared light to the driver’s skin, which penetrates the tissues and a portion is reflected and captured by the touch-pad. Inside the reflected light information on the unique chemical properties of skin, including alcohol concentration is collected. The system analyzes only the wavelengths in which presence of alcohol can be found and is able to perform multiple readings in less than a second.
The objection raised is linked to the reliability of the readings; i.e., that they are actually the driver’s and not of a compliant passenger. To overcome this very important hurdle, they are considering integrating the DADSS with multiple detectors positioned in the car , ensuring who the owner of the values detected actually is. It seems still quite difficult, however, to exclude with absolute certainty the possibility of "fooling” the device.
The breath detector is different from the traditional breathalyzer in which one has to blow with one’s lips. There are no particular procedures: the readings are taken from the normal breathing of who is sitting in the driver's seat.