Toyota creating alcohol detection system



TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. is developing a fail-safe system for cars that detects drunken drivers and automatically shuts the vehicle down if sensors pick up signs of excessive alcohol consumption, a news report said Wednesday.



Cars fitted with the detection system will not start if sweat sensors in the driving wheel detect high levels of alcohol in the driver's bloodstream, according to a report carried by the mass-circulation daily, Asahi Shimbun.

The system could also kick in if the sensors detect abnormal steering, or if a special camera shows that the driver's pupils are not in focus. The car is then slowed to a halt, the report said.

The world's No. 2 automaker hopes to fit cars with the system by the end of 2009, according to the report. Calls to Toyota's headquarters in Nagoya rang unanswered on Wednesday, a public holiday.

Nissan Motor Co., another Japanese car manufacturer, has already been experimenting with breathalyzer-like devices that could detect if a driver was drunken. Similar technologies, such as alcohol ignition interlocks, are in use in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Concerns over drunken driving have surged in Japan following a series of alcohol-related accidents last year. In August, a drunken driver collided with another vehicle carrying a family of five, plunging them off a bridge and killing three children.

The incident prompted stepped-up roadside spot checks by police, who also plan to stiffen penalties for drunken driving.

nice

What would we do without the Japanese?

Too invasive. I don't need my car slamming on the brakes just because I'm swerving to avoid some deep water on the side of the road on a rainy day, or because my pupils are expanding/contracting due to lighting conditions like driving through a tunnel or something.

Can you imagine the wrecks that are going to occur from people's cars unexpectedly coming to stops on busy roads?

Tom said:

This is what I was thinking also.

I think this is awesome.

I heard that in a couple years your car won't even start unless ya blow first.

Pretty cool.

Public Transportation is the job to have in '09 baby!

Tom said:

I agree that it would be dangerous to have your car come to a complete stop in the middle of the freeway, just because you swerved to avoid hitting something. I would also be concered about the unfocused pupil feature, because I have very sensitive eyes, and cannot handle bright light.

I do like the idea of a car not starting at all if the drivers has high blood alcohol levels. I heard about this technology a few years ago, and I'm glad to see that is will become more widely used. I see too many signs along the road that say "In memory of...killed by a drunk driver"
[Edited 1/4/07 10:26am]

SureThing said:

This could be a good pick-up line.

TMPletz said:

It'd totally work for some too.

Bad idea... what happens in an emergency situation, and you need a car to get someone to medical help, but have had a couple beers - and don't have access to a phone?

And especially w/ the swerving... there could be any number of reasons for "driving erratically." What if you are trying to get to the hospital? What if you are ill, and driving yourself to the emergency room, and your pupils are dilated?

What if you are wearing gloves?