New Technology May Stop Charleston Drunk-Driving Accidents Before They Start

We may not have ever gotten the flying cars science promised us would be here by now, but designers may have brought us something just as amazing. Right now, developers are putting the finishing touches on a new type of device that could put an end to drunk-driving accidents once and for all. The best part is, it should be incorporated into vehicles in just a couple of years. DADSS Has Designed Cars that Won't Let a Person Drive Drunk Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS), an organization that represents 17 different automakers, has been working to develop new technology along with the help of The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). They call their program DADSS, which is short for The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety, and its goal is to design passive alcohol-testing that can be easily integrated into all kinds of vehicles. They've developed two different styles of passive testing. One works similarly to a breathalyzer, but rather than requiring the driver to breathe into the device, it detects alcohol in the air around the driver. The second method uses alcohol-sensing devices embedded into the steering wheel or the ignition switch of a keyless car. In both systems, the vehicle will not turn on if a BAC above the legal limit is detected. Early Adapters are Expected to Be Teens and Repeat Offenders The group hopes this technology will be widespread over time, but it should be an available option in new vehicles by 2020, according to the New York Times. The program will not be mandatory, though DADSS expects it to be a popular upgrade when parents choose cars for their teens. They also believe that repeat DWI offenders will be among the first to use it as well. Every Day 28 People are Killed By Drunk Drivers The most-recent statistics released by MADD say that 28 people are killed every single day in the United States in drunk-driving accidents. That works out to about 10,220 deaths annually. Another 290,000 victims manage to escape death, but not without injury. On any given day, 300,000 impaired drivers hit the road and most of them do so about 80 times before they're arrested for the first time. Even after being arrested, they don't always change their ways. One-third of offenders are repeat offenders and 50-75% of them continue to drive after their license has been taken away.

Charleston Drunk-Driving Accident Attorney

Unfortunately, this technology has not gone mainstream yet, and there are still hundreds of thousands of impaired drivers on the road every day. If you've been injured in an accident because someone chose to drink and drive, you may be entitled to compensation. Courts often award victims with funds needed to cover medical bills, time away from work, damages, and other expenses that have resulted from the collision. For a free consultation, please contact us using our online form or speak directly to one of our attorneys now by calling 1(800)610-2546.