Department of Transportation unveils prototype of new alcohol detection system

by | Jun 9, 2015 | Transportation

Department of Transportation unveils prototype of new alcohol detection system
Simply pressing the "start" button on a vehicle activates the DADSS sensor, which collects the chemical properties of the driver's skin through shining an infrared light on his or her finger. Xiaolan Tang/MEDILL

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is developing an alcohol detection system with the help of major car manufacturers around the world. The program, Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety, discerns if a driver’s blood alcohol concentration is at or above 0.08. DADSS currently measures alcohol through two types of sensors: skin and breath.