When Your Car Takes the Keys Away - July 25th, 2007
According to Engadget, Nissan and law enforcement in Japan are set to begin testing what amounts to a drunk proof car on August 1. The company has been working with the system for about a year, incorporating what amounts to a breathalyzer into the car rather than allowing drivers to rely on third-party solutions with similar technology.
So here’s the scenario. You go out with the guys or the gals after work and knock back a few, but you’re still feeling okay. After all, you can handle it. You pop in your Nissan, let loose a little whiskey-laden breath as part of the ignition process and the car say, “Uh, no.” That’s right, your car won’t start and you’ll be looking for someone else to drive or someone to come pick you up.
Nissan has already added a system to its vehicles that issues warnings to drivers who are steering erratically, making the assumption that they’re under the influence. Other augmentations are being considered based on drivers’ reactions to and opinions about the current level of driver/car interaction.
I’m certainly honest enough to admit that during my college years I was behind the wheel of a car when I shouldn’t have been. The whole concept of being “impaired” is that you think you’re okay when you are, in a word, blotto. These kinds of systems, while potentially annoying once in a blue moon also have the potential to save thousands of lives. See, the thing is, the drunk is the one who usually walks away and the kid in the car he hit goes to the morgue. Kinda makes that last tequila shot sound a little less appealing, eh?
Posted on July 25th, 2007 by Shorty
Filed under: technology |
