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Breath-Sensing Device Built into Car Key Might Decrease DUI Arrests and Accidents
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A growing concern about drunk-driving has encouraged Saab to develop a device called the Alco-key. It is a mini alcohol sensing device that would be built into the car's key fob. Saab's spokesman, Kevin Smith, described how the device would be used. He said, "after you unlock your car, you then blow into the breath-sensing device in the end of the key and it reads the blood-alcohol content of your breath and determines whether or not you're fit to drive, based upon a pre-programmed threshold that is set into the system." The breath sample would pass down a small internal tube containing a semi-conductor sensor the size of a pin-head. The sample is then analyzed and either a small green or red light on the fob lights up. If the red light lights up, the anti-theft engine immobilizer is active and the vehicle is not, and won't be until the time limit is past or if another non-drinking driver takes over.
Saab is running tests on the prototype to verify its reliability and accuracy. The software that controls the engine immobilizer can be adjusted to the blood-alcohol limits where the car is registered. The Alco-key would cost about $300 in commercial production. According to Kevin Smith, they do not know when the Alco-key may be ready for sale.
If you or someone you know has been charged with a DUI, contact our office today to set up a free face-to-face consultation. The DUI attorneys at the Hedding Law firm have a combined 75 years of experience and have been successful in many DUI cases.
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Posted By Admin on
October 19, 2010 11:02 am |
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