My friends and I usually order a taxi, but there also are people who go ahead and sit in the driver's seat after one too many drinks.
To help deal with this issue, at the request of the Russian Interior Ministry, the 'alkolaser' has been invented. It is a sensor which detects the presence of alcohol vapors in the cabin of a moving car, and uses a special laser which is safe for the eyes.
Produced by "Laser Systems",a company based in St. Petersburg, it was one of the hits at the recent technology fair in Hanover Messe, where it was presented publically for the first time.
The sensor detects the presence of alcohol vapor in the cabin of the car through the windshield, provided that it has no tint which blocks excessive sunglare.
The device detects blood alcohol content at the lowest concentration of 1 ppm (one particle per million).
This concentration is achieved if the person in the cabin drank a liter of beer or 100 grams of vodka.
However, the alkolaser does not show who in the cabin is under the influence,so after being pulled over, the driver will obviously have to blow into the breathalyzer to make sure that he is sober and the passenger is the one drunk.
Will the alkolaser prove an effective method to reduce the numer of drunk drivers on the roads? We shall see in practice. One thing is for sure,though. It will make people think twice before drunk-driving. However, without tightening sanctions and their reinforcing, drunk drivers will still be a danger on the raods.
What is your opinion on the alkolaser? Is it a good idea? Or maybe you have another, better and more effective proposal to combat drunk drivers? All discussion is welcome!
In my opinion this is a good idea. I thing it will improve dealing with drunk drivers because police can check every car which is passing by and stop only one that have wested passenger. Sure it doesn't tell which passenger is drunk, but it still improve searching for those drivers. However, I can't agree with that someone will decides to not to drive a car. I don't believe that those drunk drivers thing at all.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good idea. Another way to fight with drunk drivers - sounds great. I can imagine that during the night all Taxis would be hardly check by the police (because of drunk travelers). To decrease the number of drunk drivers I would drastically restrict the punishments and the law. There should be no exceptions for those who only take a short ride, don’t even cause the accident. They should completely lose they driving licenses without possibility to pass it again. Everybody should be equal. If you drive drunk once, you won’t have any scruples about doing it again. That's my opinion. I have no tolerance for drunk drivers. When you drink take a taxi, if you don’t have money just use your feet.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Jakub and Tomasz. Depening on the accuracy of this laser device it looks like a great way to scan for suspects instead of blindly stopping vehicles. I think the biggest problem is withing human minds "only one drink won't make any harm" is the argument most commonly used.
ReplyDeleteInstead of battling drunk drivers we should focus on preventing them from drinking in the first place but if they do, punish them in a way they will remember for a long time.
Tomasz, do you thing that Police is stupid and would stop every taxi with passengers? Give them some credit :) The secret is, the Police don't stop taxi's, when they are looking for drunk drivers. Restrict punishment to this scale sound good, but only theoretically. When they would loose driving license for ever, they would still drive a car. That is just the way it is. Those people don't thing about punishment. Also you can't tell that everyone, who drove a car after a drink, will do it again. I thing more efficient would be brain wash :) Show some drastic films from accidents. I thing the best way is to teach them thinking about the future. To understand what I'm saying I recommend a book “Paradoks czasu” wrote by Philip G. Zimbardo and John Boyd.
ReplyDeleteI think that alkolaser will help police officers to find in easier way drunk drivers. Using this device is not neccessary to stop the car if alkolaser show that is no presence of alcohol vapors in the car's cabin. I am sure that this kind of police control contribute to improvement safety on the roads. People will be still driving car after some deeper but less of them will avoid penalty. This fact sholud have influence on the number of drunk drivers.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a real invention but, like said before, it does not solve the problem of drunk drivers. They will still drive on local streets or off-road where these devices will be missing. Maybe such devices should be installed by car manufacturers and report automatically when the driver is drunk?!
ReplyDeleteI suppose that this device must be expensive and this may reduce its popularity. The funny fact is that it is a Russian invention. I'm afraid that it won't help in this country unless they start to obey the law. Drunk drivers is just one of many plagues on their roads. If you belong to mafia you can do whatever you want and feel exempt from punishment.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is great. I'd like to see a device that checks a driver for being drunk before starting a car. Nonetheless drunk drivers are a problem that's hard to fight with.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good idea. It’s another way to check the drivers. The danger is too high, that’s why it’s obvious and necessary to invent new possible ways to make it lower. Of course it isn’t so exact and there will be a lot innocent people stopped by police because they drive drunk passengers but it is better than stopping everyone or no one. I also thought about a different solution, probably someone could make something like breathalyzer which after researching how much alcohol we drunk would or wouldn’t allow us to drive. I mean if the level of alcohol in your breathe is fine then the car starts to work and if it isn’t then the car doesn’t start to work.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion there is way to many drunk drivers on Polish roads. Every polish national or church holiday proves it very well.It is common in our country to drink on holidays but not everyone is aware of the side effects of it wich is getting behind the wheal and cousing a car accident.
ReplyDeletePolice should to what ever it takes to get drunk drivers away from the road.Drinking efects your vision and it is hard for you to veryfie if the object in front of you is far or close enought.
Alkalaser will help limit drunk drivers.It is just another very helpful device along with thebreathalyzer.
I think alkolaser is a very good idea, because it will facilitate the searching process for drunk drivers, and thus there will be more safe roads and what is more road accidents involving these drivers will ocuur less often. They Lose driving licenses without Possibility to pass it again. It would be best for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI think that every idea which can help to lower number of accident a cause of alcohol is good .Alkolaser can be needful to estimate in which car there are person who drunk.In my opinion the problem of drive car after drunk should be more visible in tv and bilboard then maybe it will influenco on more people.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your opinion on the alkolaser? Is it a good idea? Or maybe you have another, better and more effective proposal to combat drunk drivers? All discussion is welcome!
ReplyDeleteWow, that's amazing stuff you presented! I have never seen, nor heard about alkolasers. I'm not a drunken driver and I don't treat kindly the ones that are. There are way too many deaths of innocent passer-bys every month and something must be done to prevent such accidents. Quite frankly, I hope that there will be a budget reserve for alkolasers in Poland one day :)
I would have felt much more secure on the roads.
One more thing I would like to share is my latest discovery:
ReplyDeletehttp://wyhacz.gazeta.pl/Wyhacz/1,88542,6953904,Prawo_jazdy_z_USA_bez_ruszania_sie_z_domu__To_mozliwe.html
It's in Polish, but it's just something to add to a discussion. That's what you call creativity!
I'm impressed. However, finding people who drank one glass of vodka or two beers for me is less important than stopping cars which clearly shows that are run by drunk people. For this purpose, other drivers should call the police, but this is very rare. Police also reacts skeptically to such requests.
ReplyDelete