Drunk Driving Detection Technology Requires You To Prove Innocence

Connecticut is piloting the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS), an initiative designed to prevent impaired driving.

Developed through a collaboration between the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS) which is made up of almost all the major automakers, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This technology aims to make roads safer while aligning with federal mandates from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law requires advanced impaired-driving prevention systems in new vehicles by 2024—a target that was not met.

On the surface, this is a good thing, drunk driving is bad and people die. Unfortunately, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

DADSS offers two paths for alcohol detection: touch-based and breath-based technologies. The breath detection system uses sensors mounted in the steering column or dashboard to analyze exhaled breath for carbon dioxide and ethanol levels. Unlike traditional breathalyzers and interlock systems, this semi-passive system requires no physical interaction, only proximity.

The touch detection technology, meanwhile, employs spectroscopy to measure alcohol levels in the driver's tissue. Infrared light is shone onto the driver’s skin, penetrating the tissue and reflecting data that reveals BAC. This system can be integrated into a vehicle's start button, offering rapid, non-intrusive readings.

Both systems allow for customizable settings, enabling zero-tolerance thresholds or legal BAC limits. These options appeal to a wide range of users, including rental fleets, logistics companies, and parents of young drivers.

While the current DADSS system requires some interaction, future iterations will offer fully passive monitoring. The next-generation system will continuously measure alcohol levels through breath and touch sensors, even during vehicle operation. These advancements could also integrate with autonomous features, enabling vehicles to respond safely if impairment is detected mid-drive, such as entering a "limp home" mode or pulling over to a safe location. Just don't use the term kill switch, even if that's at the heart of the system.

The fully passive version is expected to be ready by 2027, with automakers likely incorporating the technology into passenger vehicles within two years of its release.

The DADSS initiative is not without questions. How will the system handle false positives from substances like mouthwash or cigarette smoke, or medical conditions like hypoglycemia? Additionally, who will bear the responsibility for maintaining and recalibrating these systems, and how will drivers cope with potential malfunctions?

To address privacy concerns, DADSS has worked with the Future of Privacy Forum to ensure the system makes real-time decisions without storing or transmitting personal data. This effort aims to balance the technology’s functionality with the need to protect user privacy.

Semantically, there's not much difference between a court-ordered interlock system which is installed after you've been convicted of drunk driving and requires a directed breath combined with a passing grade before being able to start your car; and a passive system installed in all vehicles that won't allow a vehicle to start if a passing grade from your breath or your skin isn't achieved.

With an interlock system, you did the crime and were found guilty in a court of law, with DADSS, everyone is required to prove their innocence from the outset.

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