Future cars may have mandatory breathalyzers

[kinorton]

33% of fatal accidents last year were due to drunk drivers.

 

[rich8483]

So, driving gloves are going to make a comback? Sweet!!

interesting point, my wife, this time of year b/c she is a cold person ALWAYS wears gloves especially when driving. maybe she could take a glove off to start it but do these things also moniter BAC while driving, you know for those that drink while they are driving. or like some one said, leave the car running while they are inside drinking.

Wonder what happens if you get a beer spilled on you on the way out the door of the bar where you have been the designated driver all night?

Relly stupid idea with not a nit worth of forethought.

A solution to a problem that does not exist but will create more problems.

there is no possible way that anything the government does has any unintended consequence

You guys crack me up. Don't buy/drive vehicles that have this equipment..Problem solved. Just like people complain about the TSA everytime they fly...Dont fly? Stop feeding them money and they will starve.

though you are right to a point. and i dont fly and i wouldnt jump out and buy one of these cars. but two things i foresee - the g men thinking "this isnt working b/c people still have used vehicles" (not b/c it simply does not work) and then require older vehicles to prove that they are retrofitted in order to get plates. and also if that doesnt happen, what about in 20 years, when you really do have to buy some kind of newer vehicle b/c your current one just cant cut it anymore.

I bought my blazer knowing it had daytime running lights and automatic night lights. I disabled both.

i find those things super annoying. GM is not the only one that has their controls like that but since its the example you posted, i feel they highly insult my intelligence by saying im not smart enough to know when to turn the lights on, or lock and unlock doors etc. and slightly off topic, when all the controls have symbols and not words so everyone can drive that type of car however, some of the symbols suck so bad that actually no one no matter what language now knows what it means.

an example i will pose is when my brother parked his semi by mom and dads house, he would drive his silverado there to pick up his truck obviously in early morning. the spot where his silverado had to be parked would shine its headlights right in moms bedroom window so he had good reason to be able shut them off for courtesy, however he couldnt.

The new ones you have to hum into while you blow. It recognizes the frequency of your hum so only you can activate the car.

This is stupid. Right up there with taxing people for not wearing their seatbelts

making it ****ing impossible for a friend to barrow a car. thats ****ing great.

33% of fatal accidents last year were due to drunk drivers.

no ones arguing that, but punish the sober? what the heck.

oh and what ever do we do about the other 66%? the mayhem!

 

[edporch]

This seems reasonable. I was looking at this from the perspective of people knowingly driving drunk and trying to bypass the system.

I agree with your motive.
I don't want to be on the road with drunks either.

But being a society of "precedents" and "slippery slopes", by allowing the mandatory breathalyzer in everybody's cars, God only knows what they'll think of next once the camel's nose is under the tent.

It cracks me up when I see people/groups pushing through their agendas, never REALIZING that by the precedent they set, ONE DAY it will be THEIR OX that will be gored.

And will they scream, when it does... LOL

 

[rambone]

You guys crack me up. Don't buy/drive vehicles that have this equipment..Problem solved. Just like people complain about the TSA everytime they fly...Dont fly? Stop feeding them money and they will starve.

If the Federal Government forces carmakers to include it, there will be no way around it. Unless you just want to boycott driving.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

I'm not saying it is the solution (I would not be for this proposal), but to say a problem does not exist with drinking and driving is wrong. You don't need me to pull the statistics or tell you the stories of those killed and maimed by morons getting behind the wheel intoxicated.

It's as much a solution to drunk driving as banning assault weapons is to prevent robberies or banning Krispy Kreme to prevent heart attack. It's a feel good thing. Drunks will drive junk that doesn't have this crap installed, and you ad I will be saddled with a POS that raises the price of a new vehicle and that will fail exactly when you need it to work most.

Besides, these things don't fit on scooters, the prefered vehicle of DUI convictees.

 

[Bendrx]

All this means is when the ocifer pulls me over and asks if I know why he pulled me over I can say "It's not cuz all the liquor I've been drinking ocifer, cuz I blew into this here thingy and it say s I can drive! WOOOOO TOGA TOGA TOGA!"

I'm against, it, but I plan on driving my '94 4.0L V8 well into the days where the emissions have caused the sky to open up and fire to rain down on us all.

 

[grimor]

I don't need another high priced thing that could break on my car and prevent it from being driven.

 

[rambone]

I don't need another high priced thing that could break on my car and prevent it from being driven.

Exactly. Its government meddling with the free market. One small bit of control at a time, always for our safety of course. A few more laws and we will finally reach utopia.

 

[public servant]

The new ones you have to hum into while you blow. It recognizes the frequency of your hum so only you can activate the car.

So...uhhh... Getting one's girlfriend to give it a hummer is out of the question??

 

[printcraft]

So...uhhh... Getting one's girlfriend to give it a hummer is out of the question??

I think that is how you get the officer to let you out of the DUI.......

 

[indykid]

With all the mandated government safety items, like daytime running lights, tire pressure monitors, stability systems, half a million airbags, crumple zones, crash beams, and others not implemented like back up cameras, automatic roll bars, and possibly breath analyzers, they are taking an appliance that used to be affordable and pricing them so that no one can afford one. Add in the lower wages happening as companies try to stay in business, and you have exactly what the government wants.

Affordable automobiles = freedom which seems to be something our nanny government seems to want to put an end to.

 

[96firephoenix]

how about those automatic seatbelts from back in the day? we saw how well those worked out - any new cars have those now? this too shall pass - hopefully not through the legislator.

the only real way to curb drunk driving is through drastic cultural change and through tougher enforcement of the laws we have.

DUI is NOT TOLERATED culturally or legally in Europe, and they have very few cases of it compared to the US. I can't find any hard statistics right now, but I spent 4 months over there and saw only one driver I thought was drunk compared to almost one a week here in teh US. the punishments are harsher in the EU than in the US as well. 1st offence in some EU members is 6months in jail and a $1300-1400 fine. as well as a year suspension from driving. second offence is usually 6months - a year in jail and permanently revoking your licence.

 

[Benny]

I don't need another high priced thing that could break on my car and prevent it from being driven.

Since I don't drink and drive, this would be my only concern.

Although I think much, much harsher sentences for drunk drivers would be the smarter route to go.

 

[edporch]

how about those automatic seatbelts from back in the day? we saw how well those worked out - any new cars have those now? this too shall pass - hopefully not through the legislator.

the only real way to curb drunk driving is through drastic cultural change and through tougher enforcement of the laws we have.

DUI is NOT TOLERATED culturally or legally in Europe, and they have very few cases of it compared to the US. I can't find any hard statistics right now, but I spent 4 months over there and saw only one driver I thought was drunk compared to almost one a week here in teh US. the punishments are harsher in the EU than in the US as well. 1st offence in some EU members is 6months in jail and a $1300-1400 fine. as well as a year suspension from driving. second offence is usually 6months - a year in jail and permanently revoking your licence.

You're right about DUI in Europe, but one thing different is they have a greater tolerance for public intoxication according to a friend of mine who's from Germany.
My friend told me that it's common to see people who OBVIOUSLY had too much to drink in public.
He told me they tend to leave these people alone unless they're actually causing trouble, where in the USA they'd be arrested for public intoxication.

 

[indykid]

The reason there are more intoxicated people in Germany? Could it be because when you go out to eat, beer is cheaper than water!!!! Hard to believe!

 

[edporch]

The reason there are more intoxicated people in Germany? Could it be because when you go out to eat, beer is cheaper than water!!!! Hard to believe!

LOL :-)