Over the course of the year, the DADSS Program has made some developments. In an effort to keep our supporters in the loop on all that we’re up to, we’ve put together a technical update on the latest in the development of the technology.

Progress on the research continues to further increase the accuracy, precision and speed of measurement for the breath-based and touch-based devices as well as to reduce the physical size of the devices so that they may be eventually integrated into mass–produced motor vehicles.

A directed–breath sensor derived from the DADSS technology by Sweden-based sensor company Senseair is being tested by public transit workers in Stockholm to obtain real–world operational data and experience that is aiding the development of the DADSS passive breath sensor. In select locations, transit employees use the directed–breath technology to verify they do not have alcohol in their system before operating subway cars.

In the lab, testing continues to understand how a driver’s and passenger’s breath move through a vehicle’s cabin in order to identify optimal locations for installing the DADSS passive breath sensor(s). The engineers are using the BREATHS

 simulator developed by the DADSS Program. The simulator blends gases including carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen with moisture to create an “exhaled breath” that matches the composition, temperature and pressure of a natural human breath.

On the touch-based system, engineers are working to reduce the number of lasers necessary to provide an accurate blood alcohol content (BAC) measurement in an effort to achieve the lightning-quick speed required for the technology and to decrease the physical size of the device so that they may be eventually integrated into mass–produced motor vehicles. To test the current prototype, the DADSS Program has created a touch-based standard calibration device that combines a series of compounds to accurately simulate the composition and density of tissue in a finger.

Human subject testing continues at the Harvard Medical School-affiliated McLean Hospital. This testing gives researchers the necessary scientific data they need for a wide range of driver ethnicity, gender, age, etc. The data is used to refine the measurement algorithms to be employed to determine a driver’s BAC while also validating and verifying the performance of the latest breath- and touch-based devices. These tests include a range of “real-world” scenarios – such as “last call” and “social snacking” protocols.

The DADSS Program recently took delivery of the first 15 of 40 vehicles to be used in the first round of pilot field operational testing (PFOT) set to begin once federal government clearance has been obtained from the Office of Management and Budget. Work has begun to augment the pilot vehicles with the DADSS technologies and the needed instrumentation and data acquisition system. These tests will initially begin in Virginia and Massachusetts and will later expand to other select sites elsewhere in the U.S. The field testing will give researchers an opportunity to observe driver behaviors in real–world driving settings with a variety of natural factors such temperature, humidity and altitude. This will be an exciting step as researchers will gain valuable insights as the program moves out of the lab and onto the road.

 BREATHS means Biomimetic Respiratory Engineering Analysis and Testing with Humidity Simulator.

DADSS Technical Update

The DADSS Program was pleased to exhibit at the Governors’ Highway Safety Administration’s Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, from September 16 to 20. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, GHSA’s 2017 Annual meeting drew more than 600 state members and safety professionals to discuss the latest trends, challenges and opportunities. Alongside video content and previous versions of the technology, the DADSS Program showcased a vehicle outfitted with the latest breath sensors for field operational tests. The DADSS team also introduced visitors to Driven to Protect and the work underway in Virginia.

DADSS at the Governors’ Highway Safety Administration’s Annual Meeting

This past week, the U.S. Department of Transportation released the most recent Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data showing 

an increase in alcohol-related traffic fatalities of 1.7 percent

—from 10,320 in 2015 to 10,497—accounting for 28 percent of overall fatalities in 2016. DADSS Program & Technical Manager Dr. Bud Zaouk responded to the news by saying that “with alcohol-related fatalities on the rise, we are laser focused on making sure this life-saving technology becomes a reality. Reversing the deadly trend is exactly what motivates engineers and researchers to successfully complete this program in the coming years.”

The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) Research Program is a public-private partnership between the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS), which represents the world’s leading automakers, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Public-private partnerships like DADSS have led to innovations that enhance our everyday lives, such as the internet, GPS and the microchip. The Program is researching a first-of-its-kind technology called the alcohol detection system that will detect when a driver is impaired with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above 0.08%, and prevent a vehicle from moving.

DADSS Statement on the Rise of U.S. Traffic Fatalities Due to Drunk Driving

The DADSS Program was at the 2017 Federated Auto Parts 400 and at the 2017 Virginia529 College Savings 250 NASCAR Races on September 8 and 9, where they debuted the new partnership with Virginia, “Driven to Protect.”

Our exhibit featured an interactive display about the technology and the science behind it and additional information about what will be happening in Virginia as part of “Driven to Protect.”

This exhibit gave Virginians an early look at the alcohol detection technology being developed by the DADSS Program, as well as the opportunity to experience the current prototypes for themselves and provide their initial feedback.

You can learn more about Driven To Protect 

Driven to Protect at NASCAR

Technological innovations have brought us smarter and safer cars. Despite these advancements, one of the greatest threats on our roadways remains—drunk driving.

Is there a role for technology to tackle this persistent public safety challenge?

The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) Research Program is working to find that answer.

What started as a strategic safety concept has— through meticulous research and development—become a set of working prototypes that hold the potential to significantly reduce the injuries and deaths caused by drunk driving.

 when a driver is intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above 0.08 and prevent the car from moving. Two different approaches passed the proof-of-concept review and are being tested, modified and reduced to a size that can fit in a car—one touch-based and one breath-based. The touch-based sensor measures and analyzes the blood alcohol concentration under the skin’s surface by shining an infrared light through the fingertip of the driver. By measuring the reflected light, the system can accurately determine the concentration of alcohol. The breath-based system measures the alcohol in a driver’s naturally exhaled breath. A small sensor compares the amount of carbon dioxide molecules with alcohol molecules in a driver’s breath using infrared light, to accurately calculate the breath alcohol concentration.

While there remains a long road ahead to make this technology concept consumer-ready, it has made impressive progress and has led to new patents and advancements in laser technology and alcohol detection, as well as a broader body of research on alcohol absorption and elimination.

This technology is being developed through a public-private partnership between the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, which represents the world’s leading automakers, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The common goal between these two organizations is to advance alcohol detection technology to a point where it can be integrated into new vehicles and voluntarily offered to customers as a safety option, similar to automatic braking, lane departure warning and other advanced driver-assist vehicle technologies. Through the wide acceptance and installation of this technology, we can work to combat the roughly 10,000 deaths that are due to drunk driving each year.

To deliver a road-ready technology that’s also consumer-ready, this technology must be fast, reliable and accurate; small enough to fit seamlessly into existing vehicle controls; and sensitive enough not to hassle a sober driver while correctly distinguishing between driver and passenger. To get there, we need a 

 of partners, funders, technology developers, researchers and engineers dedicated to perfecting this first-of-its-kind system. When we started this work, our first charge was to build the tools that we could use to verify and validate the devices. They simply did not exist before with the required high accuracy and precision. Today, our labs contain machines that accurately simulate breath and human tissue and allow us to test systems repeatedly with high precision while introducing alcohol in various concentrations.

Of course, the real test comes when humans are factored into the equation. Researchers and scientists at McLean Hospital Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory—an affiliate of Harvard Medical School—are closely supervising human subject testing of the DADSS prototypes, where the precision of the alcohol detection system meets the variability of the human body. These tests sample a diverse array of subjects and include laboratory simulations of social situations such as “last call” and “social snacking,” which may affect blood alcohol content. When the prototypes can remain accurate despite the real-world variety in alcohol consumption, body type, age, ethnicity and other influencing factors on BAC, we will be ready to take this technology on the road.

It is these tightly measured and closely observed tests that will be crucial to the ultimate rollout of the DADSS technology. A serious safety issue needs a serious solution—that’s why the engineers and scientists involved are requiring multiple rounds of testing to ensure accuracy and precision in the final technology—without it, we would not have confidence in the readings and in the ability of the tech to help keep drivers safe.

We also want interest, understanding and buy-in from consumers so that automakers may integrate this technology seamlessly into all vehicles that hit the road. DADSS is a driver assistance system that will help drivers make smarter decisions when it comes to getting behind the wheel of their vehicle after drinking, and that gives parents peace of mind when they hand the keys to their teenage driver. In fact, the final alcohol detection system will come with the capability to be programmed with a zero-tolerance policy for underage drivers, ensuring the technology responds to the needs of the consumer. The promise of the DADSS program has already captured the interest of consumers and leading 

, who are an integral part of the consumer acceptance of the DADSS technology as we gear up for rollout.

The next phase of the DADSS Program will be collecting real-time results from field operational tests. The tests will take place in different temperatures, humidity, altitude and other environmental conditions that a driver would face in real time. These trials—scheduled for 2018—will help us collect the data needed to perfect this technology, and take us one step closer to the day when consumers can walk into their dealerships and request a vehicle with an alcohol detection system. We are excited about our progress, but even more excited about the program’s potential to use technology to address a persistent public health threat and save lives.

https://www.rdmag.com/article/2017/08/promising-vehicle-tech-will-detect-drunk-drivers-they-hit-road

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DADSS Technical Update

DADSS at the Governors’ Highway Safety Administration’s Annual Meeting

DADSS Statement on the Rise of U.S. Traffic Fatalities Due to Drunk Driving

Driven to Protect at NASCAR

Promising Vehicle Tech Will Detect Drunk Drivers Before They Hit the Road