In a bid to combat alcohol-related road deaths, Volvo has developed ‘Alcoguard’, an in-car breathaliser which will prevent the car from starting if a driver exceeds a drinks limit.
According to the Swedish car manufacturer’s safety officials, one in three traffic fatalities in Europe is alcohol-related. To help reduce this number, Alcoguard is a breathaliser that uses fuel-cell technology to read a driver’s blood/alcohol level.
To start the vehicle, the user must blow in the wireless hand-held unit. If their blood/alcohol level is higher than 0.2 g/l, the car will not start.
Volvo hopes this technology will help lead to a change in the general attitude towards drinking and driving.
The product is likely to be welcomed in Ireland, in which road fatalities have reached epidemic levels.
By Joe Griffin
