Scientists in Poland may have come up with a powerful new deterrent to drunk driving. They have experimented with a laser-based device to detect the presence of alcohol vapors inside of a moving car as it passes by. This vapor presence is similar to vapor that has been exhaled inside a car by someone who’s been drinking.
The device works by detecting subtle changes in the laser beam as it passes through the alcohol vapor. “We all are already familiar with laser instruments used by the police for speed-limit enforcement,” Dr. Marco Gianinetto, a Polytechnic University of Milan researcher. Now these researchers have demonstrated how a laser device could be effectively used for detecting drunken drivers and thereby helping to reduce the number of accidents caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol. In the future, a similar technology may be developed to detect different chemical compounds, enabling the detection of drivers under the influence of other intoxicants.”
The device is simple to use. The laser system is set up on the side of the road to monitor every car that passes by. If alcohol vapor is detected, a message is sent down the road to a waiting police officer with a photo of the car including the license plate. The police officer then stops the car to check for signs of alcohol use. The device could also be used to identify cars where the driver is sober but the passengers are not or where there might be a spill of alcohol but not necessarily a driver who has consumed it.
The researchers are now studying possible development of a similar laser technology that could detect drugs and other intoxicants.