Added on July 25, 2018  The News Wheel   , , , , ,
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UK Testing Built-In Breathalyzers in Cars

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New breathalyzers in UK cars will immobilize the vehicle if the driver fails the test, to help reduce drunk driving rates.

The U.K. police are currently testing built-in breathalyzers in vehicles. These gadgets will immobilize the car if it detects that the driver failed the breathalyzer test. If the trial goes well, the new breathalyzers will spread to the general public. This will hopefully help reduce the number of drunk drivers on U.K. roads.

The Durham Police are backing the trials, offering free tests to drivers who struggle with alcohol addiction or have a track record of drunk driving. During the breathalyzer tests, the driver must breathe into the device at the beginning of the drive. They’ll also have to breathe into the gadget at certain intervals during the drive. As a further safeguard, drivers who try to remove the breathalyzer from the car will signal alarms which could notify the police. The trial vehicles also include photo devices to provide evidence that the driver is the one doing the breathalyzer tests.

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Also called an ignition interlock device, this in-vehicle breathalyzer poses a promising solution to help curb drunk driving rates
Photo: Smart Start Inc.

Detective inspector Andy Crowe is one of the leaders monitoring the trial phase. He expressed faith in the project’s significance, anticipating a more widespread adoption of the device sometime in the future. “This really is an innovative project which is a first for the U.K., and will hopefully help us identify and deal with potential drink drivers before they even get behind the wheel.”

The U.K. isn’t the only region testing out these in-vehicle devices, however. The U.S., France, and Sweden are a few of the countries who are already using these gadgets to help reduce drunk driving. Hopefully more countries will adopt this innovative strategy for lowering drunk driving rates.

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News Source: The Daily Express