DRINKING & DRIVING: FRENCH GOVERNMENT SPURS CAR MANUFACTURERS (RENAULT, PEUGEOT-CITROEN) TO EQUIP VEHICLES WITH ALCOHOL LEVEL MEASURING TOOLS. VOLVO AND SAAB ALREADY IN ACTION IN SWEDEN, AS WELL AS NISSAN AND TOYOTA IN JAPAN. AND IN ITALY?

While Italian newspapers cover front pages with stories of auto accidents caused by drunk drivers, and politicians search for solutions for this problem (and who, in the meantime, are creating an income with the higher fines for those who are caught driving under the influence, but which do not seem to limit the deaths caused by these drunk drivers), France (the historic wine rival of Italy) in the meantime has found a more direct way to resolve the problem:
Undersecretary and delegate for transportation, Dominque Bussereau, has turned to the national car manufacturers, Renault and Peugeot-Citroèn, to promote the development of breathalyzers in automobiles in order to, “allow every driver to do a self exam and to assume his own responsibility”. This is a possible solution for a country in which the drunk driving is the main cause of fatal accidents (26.2% of deaths, or 1,200 out of 4,709). France is, in fact, also considering lowering the alcohol level limit of 0.5 grams per liter of blood to 0.2 grams as per the suggested limit by the European Union.

But technological solutions, have already begun to be developed privately by large car manufacturers. Saab and Volvo have been studying breathalyzers on car keys and on safety belts that would block ignition if the driver surpassed the legal limits. In Japan, Nissan and Toyota have also been busy. By 2009, Toyota will be installing sensors on steering wheels capable of reading alcohol levels through the perspiration of driver’s hands, a video camera in the glove compartment that can measure the dilation of pupils, and instruments that will monitor abnormal steering wheel movements. Nissan, which has already presented a prototype of its sobriety enforcing cars, has designed an automobile that can constantly monitor the state of the driver by analyzing pupils and, with mini-sensors on gear shifts and head rests, alcohol levels in perspiration.

Federico Pizzinelli