Car safety systems

(The Boston Globe, November 15, 2013)

The government is speeding up research on safety systems that automatically prevent drivers from operating their cars if they are drunk or aren’t properly buckled in. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the innovations — collision avoidance, seat belt interlocks, and driver alcohol detection systems — hold the potential of dramatically reducing traffic fatalities. The collision avoidance would warn drivers that they are about to run into another vehicle and can brake automatically to avoid a crash or make it less severe. The seat belt interlocks would prevent cars and trucks from being driven when the driver or a passenger isn’t buckled in properly. Driver alcohol detection systems such as those NHTSA is researching don’t require any action on the driver’s part except putting hands on the steering wheel, pushing a start button with a finger or simply breathing. The systems can detect through touch or air samples whether the driver’s blood alcohol content is above the legal limit.