Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) Program

Overview

Every year in the U.S., drunk driving claims approximately 10,000 lives and costs approximately $194 Billion.

The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) Program is developing a first-of-its-kind technology that holds the greatest potential and offers the quickest pathway to reverse this trend. The technology will automatically detect when a driver is intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above 0.08% — the legal limit in all 50 states except Utah — and prevent the car from moving. The system will be available as a safety option in new vehicles, much like automatic braking, lane departure warning, and other advanced driver-assist vehicle technologies.

The Program brings together the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS), which represents the world’s leading automakers, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in one of the most important government and private sector partnerships in recent years. Public-private partnerships like DADSS have led to innovations that enhance our everyday lives, such as the Internet, GPS, and the microchip.

Combining the sharpest minds in transportation innovation with the world’s leading experts in non-invasive alcohol sensing, the technology will be fast, accurate, reliable, and affordable. And unlike existing alcohol detection technologies, it will be seamlessly integrated into vehicles and will not affect normal driving behavior.