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.
Posted by: Cinderella
clever!
Posted by: PearlOnyx
Sounds like a neat idea on the surface, but they'll be just as effective as ignition interlock devices. "Shoot, I'm drunk...I guess I'll have go drive Billy Bob's car that doesn't have that doohickey on it!" =)
Posted by: Andy0921
That's kinda cool but the car will probably be ugly as shit and not something that kids will want.
Posted by: SOT
Problem is when it doesn't work and someone dies, Toyota will be on the hook end of a huge lawsuit.
Posted by: PDExplorer3
Intersting... im sure its going to take a while to work out all the flaws!
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