Saab fitting breathalyzer key fobs to Swedish-market cars
06-08-2005, 03:22 PM
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Saab fitting breathalyzer key fobs to Swedish-market cars
We've reported before on America's experiments with the Alcokey system that monitors a driver's blood alcohol level and prevents them from starting the car if over the limit. But Saab has become the first manufacturer to trial the device on its mainstream models, albeit in its home market of Sweden. The Alcokey works by immobilising an engine if the driver blows into the special keyfob's 'breathalyser' unit and an illegal blood alcohol content is registered.
Saab's ultimate aim is to have Alcokey technology fitted as an option within two years. Therein lies one snag, however, as Saab Automobile's managing director Jan Ake Jonsson admits: "An important factor is the acceptance of the Alcokey among private customers. The great majority of them would never dream of driving while under the influence, and yet we know that alcohol is involved in nearly a third of all fatalities among drivers - on our Swedish roads just as elsewhere. If we can deal with that problem we'll be making a decisive contribution towards road safety." However, it's not just private customers who are being asked to test the products; lorry drivers are taking part in the trial too, and some fleet managers are keen to implement comprehensive use of Alcokey technology as part of a on-the-job safety regime.
Once Alcokeys start appearing on production Saabs, expect the UK Government to back users of the system; the Road Safety Bill 2005 specifically mentions the use of Alcohol Ignition Interlock Programmes (AIIPs) as a viable method of reducing drink-driving deaths. Some forecasters have written about tax reductions or other incentives for the first to take up the technology.
http://www.channel4.com/4car/news/ne...?news_id=12407
