Exploration of Advanced In-Vehicle Alcohol Detection Technology

1
Exploration of Advanced In-Vehicle Alcohol
Detection Technology A Progress Report

Susan A. Ferguson Ferguson International
L.L.C. McLean, Virginia, USA
2
Trends in Alcohol-impaired driving A worldwide
problem (Sweedler, 2007)

• Continued decline
• France
• Germany
• Decline halted - no clear trend
• Australia
• Canada
• Great Britain
• United States
• The Netherlands
• Decline halted - major increase
• Sweden

3
Percent of fatally injured drivers in the U.S.
with BACs at or above 0.08 and 0.15 percent IIHS
1982-2005
1982
85
90
95
2000
05
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Preliminary 2006 U.S. fatality data NHTSA, July
2006

• An overall 2 percent decline in motor vehicle
  crash fatalities in 2006 compared with 2005
• Fatalities in alcohol-related crashes in 2006
  remained essentially unchanged
• Very small (0.1 percent) increase in fatalities
  in crashes where the highest BAC was 0.08 percent
  or higher
• Bottom line No progress

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In-vehicle Alcohol Detection Technology The
way forward

• Frequent and highly publicized enforcement can be
  effective in reducing drinking and driving if
  people perceive there is a credible threat of
  being caught but it will not eliminate it
• The actual risk of being arrested for
  alcohol-impaired driving recently estimated at 1
  in 50 trips
• Current technology breath alcohol ignition
  interlocks can effectively reduce recidivism
  among convicted DWIs
• What in-vehicle alcohol detection technology
  would be publicly acceptable for more widespread
  use?

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Outcome of MADD International Technology Summit

• Blue Ribbon Panel for Development of Advanced
  Alcohol Detection Technology
• cooperative research spearheaded by MADD,
  Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, IIHS, and
  NHTSA to develop advanced alcohol detection system

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Exploration of advanced in-vehicle alcohol
detection technologies

• This effort seeks to develop alcohol detection
  technologies that are less intrusive than current
  technology breath alcohol ignition interlocks
  with the hope of greater public acceptance for
  installation in vehicles
• Technologies that are integrated into vehicles
  may hold the greatest promise for widespread
  deployment
• Under the terms of the cooperative research
  agreement will assess the current state of
  impairment detection devices, and begin to
  develop and test prototypes and subsequent
  hardware that may be installed in vehicles

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Cooperative research agreement to develop
advanced in-vehicle alcohol detection systems

• The Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety
  (ACTS) and NHTSA will soon enter into a
  cooperative research agreement to explore the
  feasibility, the potential benefits of, and the
  public policy challenges associated with a more
  widespread use of unobtrusive technology to
  prevent alcohol-impaired driving
• Devices are intended to determine a drivers BAC
  and if it exceeds a preset threshold prevent the
  vehicle from starting
• Five-year program to develop and test prototypes
  and subsequent devices that may be installed in
  vehicles
• Blue Ribbon Panel of Experts will provide guidance

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Road map for technology development

• Review the state of emerging and existing
  advanced alcohol detection technologies, and
  develop performance and operational criteria for
  in-vehicle alcohol detection device/s
• Select promising candidates following a request
  for proposals
• First stage proof of concept grant
• Performance verification, including an assessment
  of the likely safety impact resulting from
  widespread installation in vehicles, and
  development of tests to evaluate system
  performance.

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Road map for technology development

• Second stage development grant to build and test
  hardware to meet evolving criteria
• Final stage to refine for vehicle use
• Laboratory tests to determine performance under a
  wide set of conditions
• Extensive field testing with limited groups such
  as DWI offenders and
  commercial fleets

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The role of the public

• Technology is effective only if the driving
  public who use the technology welcome and accept
  it
• 58 percent of the U.S. public say they support
  the use of smart technology to prevent
  alcohol-impaired driving (MADD, 2006)
• But safety belt interlocks provide a cautionary
  tale
• Public education and media outreach
• Gauge and solicit public support, educate the
  public about the problem and the solution
• Generating support from public and key leaders is
  also crucial
• Need to build broad public and institutional
  acceptance