• 04
  • February
    2011

Last Friday, both federal officials and safety advocates gathered at QinetiQ, a tech company in Waltham, Massachusetts, for a presentation on future in-car technology designed to combat the ever-present problem of driving while intoxicated (DWI) here in the United States.

Specifically, the in-car technology being developed by QinetiQ - and other tech companies - is referred to as a Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS). It's primary purpose is to prevent a motor vehicle from moving if the driver registers a blood alcohol content of .08 or greater.

According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, DADSS technology "may hold the promise for stopping drunk driving before it happens."

Laura Dean-Mooney, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, shared similar hopes for the technology.

"We believe this might turn the car into the cure for the elimination of drunk driving," she said.

QinetiQ is currently in the process of developing two DADSS systems courtesy of a $10 million grant from the federal government and the auto industry.

The first system would prevent a motor vehicle from starting if an alcohol concentration of .08 or greater is sensed through the fingertips of the driver, while the second would prevent the car from starting if an alcohol concentration of .08 or greater is detected in the driver's breath.

A spokesman stated that the technology, which the company hopes to have ready for the auto industry in the next decade, would be both incapable of registering false positives and tamper-proof. In addition, he stated that the technology would also be able to screen out mouthwash and triangulate both the driver and passenger (to prevent the passenger from trying to fool the system).

Despite assurances from LaHood that DADSS technology would not be made mandatory in all new motor vehicles, it is already drawing criticism from several groups who view it as a potentially unwarranted intrusion upon the privacy rights of motorists.

"For ordinary, law-abiding citizens, it's an invasion of their privacy," said Christen Varley, president of the greater Boston Tea Party.

Please remember, if you are arrested for driving while intoxicated and are thinking about trying to save money by using a public defender or handling the matter yourself, you may want to reconsider. An experienced DWI defense attorney will know the best way to handle your ALR hearing to protect your driver's license, as well as the strategies that the police and prosecutors are likely to use in their case. By having your own attorney at your side throughout the process, you will be protected from saying or doing anything that will be used against you in court.

Today's post was for informational purposes only and not to be construed as legal advice.

Stay tuned for more from our Dallas criminal defense blog ...

Related Resources:

Feds lead charge for alcohol detector (The Boston Herald)