Cars that Detect Drunk Driving in the Works

Federal safety regulators are hoping for technology that will allow vehicles to detect drunk drivers.

According to Nat Beuse, associate administrator for vehicle safety research at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol detection technology is one of several that the agency is studying to help lower traffic fatalities. While details weren’t provided, Beuse told Automotive News that a seamless alcohol detection system integrated into vehicles would help reduce the number of alcohol-related fatalities in the U.S.

SEE ALSO: Teens More Likely to DUI After Riding with Drunk Driver

NHTSA is working with suppliers on such a seamless technology that can essentially detect alcohol by touch and breath, ideally reducing or even eliminating alcohol-related vehicles crashes. Though vehicle fatalities in the U.S. have been on the decline, it still kills over 33,000 people a year, costing an estimated $827 billion annually.

[Source: Automotive News]