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| Sober Steering Photo, per article below |
Bio-Sensor for your HANDS ON WHEEL
in development in Canada to
detect/prevent Drunk Driving
As a DWI defense lawyer, I try to keep up with developments in both the law and technology/law enforcement side of things...
On Sept. 17, 2015, this article appeared about a Canadian company with U.S. ties that is working on a BIO-SENSOR that will supposedly measure your Blood-Alcohol Concentration through your skin. It will be fit onto steering wheels and will be connected to the Transmission of the car.
I think that it is interesting that this company is planning on measuring your Blood-Alcohol Concentration through your skin... unfortunately, the company fails to mention how it plans to accomplish that task scientifically.
As with any measuring system, I worry about the basic premise --they would be measuring your SKIN to determine what's in your BLOOD. Therefore, I see inherent problems and potential for false positives. I imagine they will be using some form of infrared light spectroscopy to determine the BAC of a person. The only sort of technology that will be universally accepted will have to be non-invasive (i.e. not giving you a pin-prick and actually testing your blood). It will also have to be convenient.
The other new part of the technology is that this does not affect the IGNITION like current systems. This new technology is designed to control the car's TRANSMISSION. I think this is a good idea because it allows the car to be running even with a failed test. This is important in the winter when it's freezing outside and you need the heat inside the car.
However, most states in the US have laws that make it a crime to be drunk in a car when the keys are in the ignition. New York does. So, hypothetically, if this technology was universally installed, the police could still charge people with DWI even if they are just sitting in their disabled car with the engine running in the cold...
I think this sort of technology will eventually be mandated by the federal government on all vehicles. I just hope that it proves reliable enough so that those accused of DWI are not unfairly convicted --and those of us that do NOT drink and drive will not be significantly inconvenienced. Guess we will have to wait and see...
I'll be monitoring their progress with interest.
By Attorney Mike Cyr
Call us if you have questions about IGNITION INTERLOCK DEVICES :
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Email: mike.ithacadwi@gmail.com
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