In-car drink-drive detector gets first road trials

ROAD trials for the first in-car drink-drive detector began yesterday. A detector which can tell whether a driver has drunk too much to be safe at the wheel has been developed by scientists.

The device works by measuring the degree of co-ordination between hand and eye and monitoring steering wheel movements and then comparing the two.

The detector has been developed by scientists at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and the University of Bristol.

Dr Dilwyn Marple-Horvat, who is conducting the trials, said: “If the road tests over the next six months are successful, the car of the future will know if your driving is impaired through tiredness, drink or drugs, and be able to warn you before you put your life, and the lives of other road users, at risk.”

The first car to be fitted with the device, an Alfa Romeo 156, started its road trials yesterday in Cheshire.

Dr Marple-Horvat said: “When steering around a corner, drivers look towards the new direction some time before they start to turn the wheel.

“But if the eyes move late, the consequences when driving can be disastrous. Usually, the time delay between looking at the new direction of travel and then moving the hand on the steering wheel is about half to three quarters of a second.

“Under the influence of drink, the interval between eye and steering wheel movement gets shorter, because the eyes move later,” he said.