Campaigns to prevent dangerous driving have limited performance. Thinking of more effective measures, Fiat has launched a car key that does not work if you are drunk.
According to a survey carried out by the Brazilian Liver Institute (Ibrafig), 55% of the Brazilian population has the habit of consuming alcoholic beverages. In Brazil, 3 people die per hour in traffic accidents. To reverse this scenario, Fiat, together with D3, developed the Fiat Safe Key. The device is part of a project to raise awareness of the risk of drinking and driving.
The smart key contains a breathalyzer, which measures the amount of alcohol in the blood and only works if the driver’s conditions are safe. If driving is not possible, the key itself sends a signal via Bluetooth to the car owner’s cell phone, which connects with a taxi app or sends a SMS to a previously registered contact.
Another invention comes from a thirteen year-old student, Krishna Reddy has developed a device that detects whether the driver is under the influence of drugs. The analysis, which takes place in a few seconds, only requires a digital camera, a flashlight and a roll of toilet paper.
When a person uses drugs, the pupil of the eye dilates and reacts differently. To measure dilation, the flashlight is placed towards the eye and the toilet paper roll directs the light towards the pupil. Then, the camera films the pupil and a software performs the measurement. As pupil compression is on the order of millimeters, it is very difficult to detect with the naked eye. And the advantage over the breathalyzer is that it captures changes in different types of drugs.
Technology can even save many lives. However, if awareness does not accompany these innovative devices, it is useless. It is possible to circumvent the system, take the tests in place of drunk friends, of course. So, I leave you with the questions: would you blow the key to a drunk friend? What if he crashed his car that night?
Article originally published in my column on the Noctula Channel website on 12/10/2015 and published here on 08/03/2022.
Sources: G1, Exame, DN, D3, CNN Brasil, BBC Brasil
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