Every year, thousands of people are either killed or injured in alcohol-related road accidents. In 2004 alone, 16,694 people were killed due to drunk driving alone. Drunk-driving fatalities constitute almost 40 percent of all traffic fatalities recorded. Of course, there are laws that penalize drunk driving and measures such as field sobriety tests and chemical tests to determine if a driver is indeed intoxicated. However, fatal accidents can and will happen even before law enforcers can flag down potentially drunk drivers.

However, new technologies that will help prevent drunk driving are currently being developed and tested by a number of manufacturers. One of the most promising devices is an ignition interlock device which stops a car from starting if its driver has had too much alcohol. The device works by detecting alcohol on the driver’s skin surface which thus eliminates the need for blow-into-a-tube breathalyzers. These devices are currently generating considerable interest and catching momentum.

In fact, New York legislators are mulling over whether to oblige cars and trucks to use these devices as soon as 2009. Meanwhile, Volvo and Saab are already using such devices in their cars, according to a report from USA Today. Mothers Against Drunk Driving CEO, Chuck Hurley, explains that “…it is literally possible that the epidemic of drunk driving could be solved where cars simply could not be operated by drunk drivers”.