Keying in on Tech to Prevent Drunken Driving

Aug. 23, 2005 — -- The beeping and blinking reminders to fasten your seat belt after you start your car are minor annoyances. But someday, you may not be able to turn the car on without fastening your seat belt and taking a Breathalyzer test.

Volvo is testing a vehicle that takes multiple approaches toward preventing drunken driving, although a spokesman for the Swedish carmaker's North American division doubts that such oversight would be tolerated in the United States.

More than 1.4 million people were arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol in 2003, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report. And 13,096 motorists and passengers were killed that year in traffic accidents where one of the drivers had a blood alcohol concentration of at least 0.08 percent -- the legal definition of "intoxication" now used in all 50 states, reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Safety groups are working to change public attitudes, while police and highway patrols step up enforcement. But automakers, under the directive of developing safer cars, are also tackling the issue.

The most recent developments come from Volvo Car Company, based in Sweden, a country where a blood alcohol level of 0.02 percent -- the result of one drink -- is enough to get drivers in serious trouble.

The Swedish unit of American carmaker Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich., announced last week that it is testing a prototype car with a unique seat belt latch.

It contains a small breath analyzer, similar to the handheld device used by cops at roadside stops, to determine the blood alcohol levels of suspected drunken drivers.

Drivers have to blow into the "Breathalyzer" to verify that they are not impaired by alcohol. But before the car will start, the high-tech buckle must also be latched into place -- indicating to the car's computer that the driver has fastened the seat belt.

"According to the EU Commission, about 10,000 people a year die in alcohol-related accidents on European roads. Many car accidents also result in serious personal injuries because drivers and passengers fail to wear their seat belts," said Ingrid Skogsmo, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre, in a statement. "That is why we are also working on the development of a Breathalyzer lock."