DADSS Program Welcomes SAE International Standard for Alcohol Detection Systems in Vehicles

Dulles, VA, Feb. 12, 2021 – Today, the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) Program welcomed the issuance of a new safety standard by SAE International establishing rigorous performance standards for breath alcohol detection systems intended for integration into motor vehicles.

The issuance of the new SAE J3214™ standard is an important milestone towards the widespread deployment of driver alcohol detection technology in all motor vehicles. Having a safety standard that has been vetted and is widely accepted by the automotive industry will help facilitate the commercial deployment of the first DADSS derivative for use by fleet operators and parents who may want to impose a zero-tolerance policy for their teen drivers. Fleet deployment for the DADSS breath system is expected to take place later in 2021.

The SAE J3214™ standard establishes minimum performance specifications for future alcohol detection systems by defining the accuracy and precision requirements of breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) measurements, as well as the acceptable criteria and key parameters to test those requirements. Importantly, the SAE standard sets the performance requirements of the system for ethanol sensitivity, the response time, and the electrical, mechanical, and environmental conditions the system may encounter throughout the lifespan of the vehicle in which it is installed.

“The SAE standard is an enormous technical milestone and will be essential to helping the DADSS technology become commercially available,” said Bud Zaouk, the DADSS Program & Technical Manager. “We’re excited that SAE International’s rigorous, peer-reviewed requirements are helping to advance ever–safer mobility systems.”

“With the publication of the SAE standard, DADSS is taking another crucial step towards widespread deployment of our life-saving technology all around the world,” said Robert Strassburger, President & CEO of the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety. “As the technology progresses, we look forward to working with SAE International on developing additional standards for future versions of the alcohol detection systems that continue to evolve every day.”

SAE International is a global association of engineers and technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. Their voluntary consensus standards play a key role in the development of future automotive innovations, from autonomous cars to electric vehicles.

The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) 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). The Program is researching a first-of-its-kind technology called the alcohol detection system that will detect blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) in drivers and, if above the legal limit, prevent a vehicle from moving.

For more information about SAE International standards, visit https://www.sae.org/servlets/works/