At the pace technology is going it is actually realistic to predict things we only see in movies. I do see cars driving themselves and I also see “flying cars”. All of these things are very possible. We have so much control over vehicles these days that soon enough they will control themselves. Self driven cars have started up but it will take a bit of time before it is perfected and everyone can have a car like that. Expect these cars to be very expensive when they first come out but eventually the prices will gradually decrease since it will then be a norm.
A lot of lives are lost and put at risk when on the road. Car accidents happen very regularly for a good amount of reasons. Distracted driving, speeding, and drunk driving are the top reasons for accidents. Drunk driving is obviously very dangerous and selfish. The amount of deaths because of drunk driving is tremendously high. In 2015, 10,265 people died because of that. It was one-third (29%) of all traffic related deaths in the United States. “Every day, 28 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This is one death every 51 minutes.1 The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $44 billion” (CDC, 2016). That is a very high percentage as it is an issue in the United States. It is illegal to drive with a 0.08 percent breath or blood alcohol concentration level.
You start to think what would be a solution to these issues. A issue that cannot even be avoided or resolved despite the harsh penalties that follow. I thought maybe a breathalyzer car can work. I feel it will make drivers more responsible and make them more conscience. Many drivers believe they can drive while being under the influence but totally misjudged everything on the road.
A breathalyzer car can prevent many accidents. The car will have multiple sensors. One detecting your breath level and the other detecting your blood when you touch the car. If you are over the legal alcohol concentration level the car will not move. There will be no more drunk driving, hopefully reducing the deaths and amount of accidents. Safety is always first and this is a step in saving lives from tragedies that happen on the day to day basis.
After being convicted of DUI many times you are required to install breathalyzer equipment in your car; they are also known as Ignition Interlock Devices. “At random times on the road, the device will require a retest to make sure the driver isn't up to any funny business behind the wheel. Failure to take the retest results in the car transforming into a rolling noise violation alarms hollering, horns blaring until the driver pulls over and turns off the ignition” (Montenegro, 2016). This type of equipment usually cost about 50 dollars a month and many find it inconvenient. With the new smart technology happening, breathalyzer cars will be the standard. All cars will come with it and drivers will not know they are being monitored unlike the devices we have now. The future cars will have “mechanisms is designed to be quick, discreet, and unobtrusive. Zaouk tells Smouse that the tests won't inconvenience drivers and that they'll be over in the blink of an eye. Touch a button, instantly know whether you're good to drive or not. Ignition turns on or stays off” (Montenegro, 2016). The roads will be much safer after this is implemented on all the cars. Death and accidents rates will definitely go down, meaning we should start taking initiative as soon as possible.
This technology is five to eight years away from being car ready according to Montenegro. They will first be marketed as a safety ad. If this technology is effective enough the government will not hesitate to make it a universal requirement. Innovations like these will have a lot more people make it home safe avoiding havoc on the road.
Breathalyzer cars are being compared to seat belts, it is going to have that much of an impact. With breathalyzer cars we will not have to be stopped by police to check if we have been drinking, traffic can flow smoothly and decrease the amount of checkpoints. This project began in 2008 after the amount of driving fatalities.
There have been ideas of placing a touch-pad in a natural spot for drivers. “Manufacturers are also considering ways for the car to detect when someone else other than the driver attempts to start the car, such as creating a touch-ID system programmed to the driver's fingerprints on the touch-pad” (Smouse, 2015). There will be more simplicity in the future, it will not be hard to understand or navigate the program. “All states have adopted interlock laws, but vary in mandates and usage. For instance, 24 states, including New York, Florida and Texas, require interlock devices installed after the first DUI conviction. Drivers usually have to buy the system themselves, usually paying $70 to $150, plus monthly charges for upkeep and court monitoring” (Smouse, 2015). I know many people want to avoid these type of commitments and or jail time, this will help them avoid many complications. This blueprint is the answer to reducing the number of deaths and accidents.
Not only the death/accident rate will be reduced but also the amount of money spent on accidents. Drunk driving costs the United States more than $132 billion each year according to LifeSafer. The things affected by car accidents is insurance, taxes, medical and property costs as well as human cost. Insurance rates will rise because “costs are often indirectly passed on to the general consumer through incremental premium increases” (LifeSafer, 2012). Taxes will be higher because of law enforcement, housing in jails and prison, judicial and administrative costs. They have to be compensated for the extra work they do involving these cases. “EMS at crash scenes, guardrails and road signs are just a few things that are funded by tax dollars” (LifeSafer, 2012).
According to Time magazine, there are other forms to detect whether one is drunk. Nissan is testing systems that use a tiny camera to observe facial expressions. I do not fully agree with the whole camera idea but there is another way to test whether a person is drunk. Another system uses the car's internal computer to check if the driver is driving at a calculated pattern and not a reckless one. There are other things to monitor drivers and in efforts to make it safer to drive. For example Ford has a system that allows parents to limit the speed of the vehicle driven by their kids and Mercedes-Benz new E-Class has a system that sends audible warnings to the driver when drowsy.
I see these positive actions being taken to better our lives. Technology has come a very long way and will continue to progress at the rapid pace that it already does. Breathalyzer cars are the future and a safe investment.