In 2019, the DADSS Program’s Driven to Protect Initiative Virginia Team participated in community events throughout the Commonwealth, giving Virginians both a first-hand look at the DADSS alcohol detection technology and the ability to interact with the latest prototype sensors. For 2020, in response to the pandemic, the Program created the Driven to Protect | Discovery Hub, a suite of online resources to provide the same in-depth look at the technology and the development process.
The DADSS’ Driven to Protect Discovery Hub includes educational modules and videos designed to educate Virginians about the dangers of alcohol-impaired driving and the technology being developed to help prevent it.
- Visitors can explore lessons such as “The Brain, Lungs, and BAC (What’s their role in Driving),” learn about the DADSS technology in “Breath and Touch Alcohol Detection Systems,” and test their knowledge with the “Alcohol: Fact or Fiction” challenge.
- A series of videos provide an overview of the technology, the road tests happening in Virginia, how the sensors are installed in vehicles, and more.
- The Discovery Hub also offers STEM learning activities, created to complement Virginia’s science and technology curriculum. These provide more information about the science of how the sensors work, the development & testing process, and the data collection and analysis. It will also give learners the opportunity to conduct some hands-on experiments at home.
The DADSS Program is pleased to be offering the Discovery Hub which serves as a virtual education resource for Virginia that will help learners understand the role the DADSS technology will play in saving lives.
CHECK OUT THE DISCOVERY HUB HERE
The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (“DADSS”)™ Program is developing a first–of–its–kind alcohol detection technology that can passively detect when a vehicle operator is impaired with a blood alcohol concentration (“BAC”) at or above the applicable legal limit and will prevent the vehicle from moving. Once the DADSS technology has met rigorous performance standards, it will be voluntarily offered to vehicle owners as a safety option, similar to other driver assist systems like automatic emergency braking or lane departure warning.
The DADSS Program brings together the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (“ACTS”), a Virginia nonprofit, which represents the world’s leading automakers, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle’s Highway Safety Office in one of the most important government and private sector partnerships in recent years. ACTS manages this partnership. Public–private partnerships like the DADSS Program have led to innovations that enhance our everyday lives, such as the internet, GPS and the microchip. See https://www.dadss.org for more information.