Adrift at Sea —Dan’s blog on dankim.com

There was an article on a new device that is supposed to help prevent drunk driving. The device is a $600 sensor that can be installed in a steering wheel that is supposed to measure the driver’s blood alcohol level through their skin. The article about the new device is located here. I think this is the wrong approach to preventing drunk driving.

Part of the problem with drunk drivers is behavioral. Many do not consciously decide to drive drunk necessarily, but do so out of habit. This does not relieve them of the responsibility of their actions, and I believe that we need much stronger laws against drunk driving. The automobile industry is also partially to blame, as a car could easily be designed to be much more difficult for an impaired person to start. I also believe this can be done without increasing the cost of the automobile considerably.

Part of the problem is the way this country deals with both alcohol and driving. I think that if we reversed the ages for the two behaviors, we could reduce the drunk driving accident rates. In this country, you can get a driver’s license as young as age 16 in many states, and I believe in some as young as 15. However, you can’t legally drink in this country until the age of 21.

The problem I see with this is most people will have relatively little experience driving by the time they are allowed to drink legally. This lack of experience in driving, combined with the lack of experience in how much alcohol can affect their coordination can lead them to underestimate the level of impairment caused by their drinking, as well as overestimate their ability to handle driving while drunk.

If the ages were reversed, I think that five years is enough time for people to understand the problems alcohol can cause, and the level of impairment that can result from drinking. Also, people who are learning to drive will tend to underestimate their ability to drive, and would probably be less likely to drive when impaired. However, because of the culture in the United States, where getting a driver’s license is a rite of passage, I doubt this will happen.

I also think the problem with most of the ignition interlock systems is that they are too complicated and too dependent on quantitative measurements of blood alcohol levels. They use expensive electronic systems which really may not effectively measure the level of impairment in the driver. The problem with using a quantitative blood alcohol measurement is that it does not actually determine whether the driver is actually impaired or not. Some people are easily affected by a slight amount of alcohol, some are not. One woman I know is basically impaired after a half glass of wine. I doubt that her blood alcohol level has reached the legal limit of .08%. Another person I know, due to his metabolism and genetics, can drink quite a bit and basically show almost no impairment.

The other problem with these electronic devices is that they only work for alcohol, and do not determine the level of impairment of the driver. If the driver is on cocaine, marijuana, heroin, PCP, LSD or prescription drugs, these electronic devices will not detect their impairment due to these drugs. Also, these devices will not detect if the driver is impaired due to fatigue, low blood sugar, anger or other extreme emotion.

One ignition interlock, which was invented in response to the death of a son, at the hands of a drunk driver, has addressed these concerns. This device has the advantage that it actually tests the reactive hand and eye coordination of the driver, rather than the blood alcohol level of the individual. It is also a relatively inexpensive device, as it is electro-mechanical, rather than electronic. The cost of buying and installing this device is less than $100. Reuters did an article about it a few years ago as you can see in this link.

My interest in this device, and reforming legislation in this country to require the mandatory installation of such a device into the vehicles of convicted drunk drivers is extremely personal. The inventor is my father, and the son who was killed was my identical twin, David.

The only real way that drunk driving will start to go down in this country is if the legal consequences of drunk driving are such that it prevents or greatly reduces the ability of the drunk driver to do so again. Imprisoning the drunk driver shifts the costs of their crime onto society, rather than solving the problem. Revoking their license also does little to solve the problem, as most drunk drivers will drive without a legal license.

The law needs to require the installation of some sort of ignition interlock. Further deterrence can be achieved by requiring a large sticker or tag on the vehicle, which clearly identifies the vehicle as that of a convicted drunk driver. Severe penalties should also be established for anyone who aids or abets a drunk driver in circumventing the ignition interlock system.

According to the article about the new invention, nearly 40 percent of all traffic fatalities are caused by drunk driving accidents. The article states that an estimated 16,654 people were killed due to drunk drivers last year alone….over five times the number killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Isn’t it about time the government stepped in and did something about these highly preventable deaths.