In order to stop drunk driving accidents, I believe it is essential to nip this problem in the bud by preventing intoxicated drivers from taking control of a vehicle. My proposition for fixing this problem is to create an ignition lock that would not allow drunk drivers to operate their cars. Upon entering one's vehicle, the driver would be required to blow into a breathalyzer that will tell the driver their blood alcohol content. If it is above the legal limit, the driver will not be allowed to turn their engine on until the breathalyzer is used again and determines that a suitable driver will be in control of the car. Because doing this test every time one is behind the wheel is time consuming and exhausting, the ignition lock would have a disable feature but would automatically begin Friday at 5 P.M. and turn off Sunday at 10 A.M. This would be to prevent drunk driving on weekends which is when most people go out and consume alcohol.
The next question that must be answered when speaking about this product is how to ensure that every car has this ignition lock. New cars would be produced with these ignitions but older models can choose to acquire this lock. We are aware that the price of this lock would be costly but we want to create an incentive for drivers to install this product in their cars. Therefore, we would focus many of our efforts on marketing the product and acquiring sponsors, like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, to help subsidize the cost of the product. We hope that with the minimal cost and by making the positive effects of the ignition lock known, customers will be willing to purchase our new product that ensures a safer America.
I think your new product is innovative. Putting an ignition lock upon not passing the sobriety test can be complicating. What if the driver fails to follow the command, how does the car know when to execute the command, and possible legal litigations for infringing the driver's rights?
ReplyDeleteProviding incentives to those who have the ignition lock for satefy feature is brilliant and most of auto insurance companies won't mind giving discounts.
Iara,
ReplyDeleteI like the motif of stopping drunk driving. I think problems like these are not talked about enough. People either get angry and do nothing to solve the problem or claim there is no problem.
If there were a way to include the price in the car I think that might help. Perhaps a PR campaign by one of the major car companies could help.
Thanks!
Great post Iara. I think the issue that you are addressing is very important and needs more attention. I agree that there needs to be a solution to this problem. Its a good idea but there maybe some things that need to be followed up on to ensure that it would work in the correct manner. I also agree for the need of subsidizing the product to make it a common item in every car.
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