The quest to eradicate drunk driving is taking a technological turn in Washington State, where officials have just initiated the Driven to Protect | Washington program. This initiative, launched by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC), has joined the efforts of a national campaign aimed at curtailing the widespread issue of alcohol-impaired driving through advanced in-car alcohol detection systems known as the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS).
In a statement obtained by WTSC, Shelly Baldwin, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, underlined the urgency to adopt such systems, saying, "In Washington, we are driven by the belief that no loss of life on our roadways is acceptable." Such comments highlight a grim backdrop: over the past decade, alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Washington have skyrocketed by 91 percent. Nationally, drunk driving has continued to be a lethal scourge—claiming over 10,000 lives each year and accounting for nearly a third of all traffic fatalities.
The DADSS technology is designed to prevent a car from operating if it detects that the driver's Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is at or above the legal limit. Its integration is aimed to be as unobtrusive as existing safety systems, like lane departure warnings or automatic emergency braking, are for sober drivers. Rob Strassburger, President & CEO of the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, conveyed this comparison, stating, "The DADSS technology is being developed to function as seamlessly as the lane departure and emergency braking systems we already rely on."
As part of the initiative, the Washington State Department of Transportation has agreed to install the DADSS technology in three fleet vehicles to help to actively gauge how the system operates under varied conditions. Innovation, however, is only half of the equation. The Driven to Protect program also seeks to educate and inform Washington residents. Baldwin emphasizes this dual approach by noting, "Driven to Protect is not just about the technology itself. It is about building a culture of protection for every neighborhood, every family, and every road user in our state."
While the tech is currently in pilot testing phase, its development is key: it uses infrared light to measure alcohol levels in the driver's exhaled breath automatically and passively, without requiring any active participation like blowing into a mouthpiece. The system is also being fine-tuned to differentiate between drivers and passengers to ensure accuracy and reliability.
