Soon... cars in the United States may automatically refrain from moving if the driver is drunk, thanks to sensors capable of detecting the level of alcohol in the breathable air or through the skin.
US President Joe Biden recently signed a law that would force automakers to integrate such tools in the coming years, but these technologies irritate advocates of privacy and individual liberties.
The United States annually witnesses the deaths of more than 10,000 people as a result of driving while under the influence, knowing that the permissible alcohol rate there is higher, on average, than that used in many other Western countries.
The non-governmental organization MAD sees this law as a way to save thousands of lives. "I am crying with tears of joy," said its president, Alex Otti, adding, "This is the beginning of the end of drunk driving," according to "AFP".
But the text also raises questions: What would happen if the car miscalculated and insisted not to start its engines? Is it possible to use vehicles as witnesses against their owners in the event of a lawsuit?
The US authorities have 3 years, subject to renewal, to determine their position on these problems, while the technology itself is almost ready. Researchers have developed sensors that draw and analyze samples from the driver's breath.
They have also developed a scanner integrated with the engine start button, which measures the level of alcohol in the blood vessels under the skin of the fingers, using infrared light.
These inventions were developed through a collaboration between the Association of Automobile Manufacturers for Traffic Safety ("ACTS") and the relevant authorities.
ACTS President Robert Strasberger explained that anti-fraud systems will be integrated to prevent the car from starting if the driver's alcohol level exceeds the level of 0.08%, which is the maximum in force in most US states.
"We all emit carbon dioxide when we breathe, (and the system) knows how to detect whether the sample is coming from the driver and not from somewhere else," he told AFP.
As for the car's digital operating sensor, it is connected to a circuit between the seat and the vehicle's computer: "If a passenger presses the button, the circuit does not work and the measurement is not taken," according to Strasberger.
Some experts support these techniques, as long as they are properly regulated, but others warn of potential risks and abuses.
The president of the American Association of Highway Users, Laura Perrotta, considers these sensors good as long as they are working properly.
"Imagine that someone has taken mouthwash and can't start their car or the system doesn't detect that someone has had too many drinks," she says, which "could pose a real problem."
For defenders of individual liberties, this issue is not technical but legal.
"It is completely unconstitutional for our cars to monitor us on behalf of the government," says Albert Fox, founder of the NGO Surveillance Technology Oversight Project.
"This is not unlike its illegality with the government forcing phone network operators to install hidden microphones in all homes to ensure that no crime is committed in the future," he adds.
However, Robert Strasberger notes that other technologies that collect information in cars are already subject to regulation, and police need a warrant to access them. But the final decision, he says, rests with "manufacturers or lawmakers who won't let them choose."
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