US looks to standardise drink driving sensor tech
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US is taking the first step towards a standard for technology to detect drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs.
The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking from the NHTSA lays the groundwork for potential alcohol-impairment detection technology standards in all new passenger vehicles when the technology is mature. Alcohol impairment is one of the leading causes of death on US roads with 13,384 people killed in drink driving crashes in 2021, costing the US economy $280bn.
“Impaired driving crashes are 100% preventable – there’s simply no excuse or reason to drive impaired by alcohol or drugs. We urge everyone to be responsible this holiday season. If you’ve had anything to drink, use public transportation, arrange for a sober driver, or call a taxi or ride-hailing service and get home safely,” said Ann Carlson, NHTSA’s Acting Administrator.
- AI-based platform detects phone usage and smoking while driving
- Automotive camera with IR and visible capabilities
Automotive OEMs are developing a range of in-cabin sensing technologies for monitoring drivers, ranging from cameras and ultrawideband pulse radar detectors to breath sensors and IR analysis of blood vessels.
The NHTSA’s Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) research programme is developing non-invasive technology to prevent alcohol-impaired driving by measuring blood or breath alcohol accurately, precisely, and rapidly.
Exploratory research in early phases of the program established the feasibility of two sensor approaches for in-vehicle use: breath- and touch-based. Since then, there have been significant advances in sensor hardware and software development, as the program works toward meeting high-performance standards required for passive, accurate, and reliable alcohol measurement.
There are two technology approaches under development for DADSS, and both use infrared spectroscopy to measure a driver’s alcohol concentration. The DADSS touch sensor measures the BAC in the capillary blood in the skin on a driver’s hand. A touch pad with an optical module could be integrated into an ignition switch or steering wheel so that when the driver touches the steering wheel or ignition switch, a near infrared light shines into the driver’s skin. The portion of the near infrared light that is reflected back is collected by the touch pad. This light transmits information about the skin’s chemical properties, including the concentration of alcohol present.
An alternative DADSS breath sensor uses detectors that 51 simultaneously measure the concentrations of alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2) in a driver’s exhaled breath. The diluted breath is drawn into a measurement cavity where optical detectors measure the amount of infrared light absorbed by the alcohol and CO2. Using these measurements, the driver’s breath alcohol is calculated.
Camera-based-systems are also increasingly feasible and common in vehicles to tackle drowsy driving. Camera-based systems have the potential to measure a wide array of driver head and face characteristics that may be indicative of drowsiness, including driver head pose, driver gaze activity (e.g., number and distribution of glances), the percentage of time the driver’s eyes are closed, blink speed, eye closure duration, yawns, and other facial expressions. DAs noted previously, driver drowsiness tends to become progressively more pronounced over time and the progressive nature of driver drowsiness means that it is possible to estimate a driver’s future drowsiness state – seconds or even more than a minute into the future – based on their current drowsiness state.
However the technology has to be highly reliable to prevent false positive results that would stop sober people driving. Any proposed standard must be reasonable, practicable, and reduce traffic crashes and associated deaths, among other factors.
The notice will help gather information about the state of technology to detect impaired driving, about how to deploy technology safely and effectively, and will provide other information to further the agency’s work as the research and technology advances to the level to develop a standard to prevent driver impairment.
“It is tragic that drunk driving crashes are one of the leading causes of roadway fatalities in this country and far too many lives are lost,” said Polly Trottenberg, the U.S Department of Transportation’s Deputy Secretary. “The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking we are announcing today is the first step toward a new safety standard requiring alcohol-impaired-driving prevention technology in new passenger vehicles. I want to applaud the NHTSA team, elected officials and advocates who helped get us to today and will continue to help lay the groundwork on this issue.”
www.nhtsa.gov/document/anprm-advanced-impaired-driving-technology
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