Why don't all new cars have breathalysers?

[ronrat]

Most cars and soon all, will be made overseas. Good luck getting those manufacturers to rewrite all the code and retool up the production line for a limited market, And what is to stop a drunk driver teaching his kid to blow into the device so he or she can drive home.

[think positive]

[3.14159]

[King Monkey]

If the device is not to be connected to the car's computer either to disable the engine or collect data, why would it be fitted to the car??

Hand a handheld unit that fits in the glovebox to every driver when they collect their license from VicRoads.
Free to re-calibrate after use at any VicRoads location.

I like the self-policing aspect of this proposal.
The option is there if you're unsure, but you can save it for another occasion if you know you're either fine or not fine to drive.

[Culprit]

Many years ago I was on a road safety committee and it was proposed to test drivers at hotels before the got in their cars and drove. The Police protested against this occurring as a proportion of their budget is dictated by how much revenue they bring in with traffic infringements a which includes drink drivers.

[luvdids]

I don't understand why you keep mentioning "when you do your roadworthy" or, "at your first roadworthy". RWCs don't have to be produced yearly in Victoria. In all the years I owned cars, the only time a roadworthy was ever done was when it was being sold.

Also, setting it at .05 would be no good for P platers, or people with 0% alcohol conditions on their licence.

And lastly, the time of your last drink can effect your reading greatly. That's why if you say to a police officer that you've had a drink, their first question is 'how long ago'. If you finish a drink, walk out to the car & get in, you're going to have a much higher reading than you would say 10 or 15 minutes later, because of the 'mouth alcohol'.

Oh, lastly (again), adding it during manufacture won't happen. Australia is about 2% of the global market for car manufacturers. They're certainly not going to change their design for a 2% market.


If you want to test yourself by all means buy a hand held breathalyser that are freely available. Personally I don't see the point or reason to have them installed in all cars.

[David]

It seems a couple of people still think I'm proposing interlocks. I'm not; that'd just be a massive pain in the arse. And I'm not fond of the idea of policy/lobby groups collecting the data, either (though it's hardly a dealbreaker).

One reason Bucks5's 'fine' idea would never get off the ground is that it would act as a pretty obvious deterrent to people testing themselves, thus negating the whole point of the exercise.

LD, it's a good point about blood alcohol level rising, but people need to be aware of that anyway. Actually, this whole thing could be used as a great educational tool – even something as blunt as a notice in big letters on the device saying: "Warning: blood alcohol level can rise for two hours after your last drink". Easy. Anyhow, someone who blows 0.04 should know they're skating on thin ice and might be more willing to stick around at the party for another fifteen minutes just in case. The more information, the more possibility of making sensible, informed choices.

Culprit, I also fear that police would be unwilling to give up power in this area. Perhaps they like the "we'll catch you, not the other way around" dynamic. How else can you explain the fact that police often refuse to test people who walk into a police station asking for voluntary readings? I've always found that perplexing.

[David]

There seem to be four possible opportunities for getting the breathalyser put in:

1) By the manufacturer. While the vast majority of manufacturing is done overseas, cars that are made for the Australian market still have to comply with Australian safety standards. So it's far from impossible to force overseas factories to put breathalysers in cars, but I acknowledge that this would be tricky to regulate.

2) By the dealership. This is perhaps the most left-field and impractical idea, but again, far from impossible to implement. Tell sellers they need to chuck a handheld device in the glove box of each car, and problem solved.

3) By the mechanic at the first roadworthy. This is possibly my preferred option. Despite what you say above, LD, isn't it true that all cars need to have a valid roadworthy certificate that's been procured by either the buyer or seller? One advantage of this is that there would be a breathalyser in each motor vehicle, not just one per license holder.

4) Distributed by Vicroads at the time of getting your license, as suggested by King Monkey. I like this idea too, and it seems perfectly feasible. Also an easy place to go to in order to get the device recalibrated (though a mechanic could also potentially do this).

I think in all cases it's definitely preferable to have a stand-alone device (either sitting in the glove compartment, or even better in a 'drink holder' next to the steering wheel like a taxi driver's eftpos machine) than a complex system connected to the car's central computer. It just seems easier and cheaper. Thoughts?

[think positive]

[luvdids]

[David]

^ The dealership doesn't need to organise it prior to sale?

[luvdids]

Nope, not for brand new.

[David]

As someone who's worked in a dealership, what do you think about my second proposal? Would chucking a new breathalyser in the glove compartment be completely incompatible with the work a dealer is supposed to do, or do you think it could be incorporated with minimum fuss?

[luvdids]

Why can't people just buy their own?

By "chucking one in the glovebox", do you mean fixed, or just a handheld one?

[HAL]

Will that accomplish your objective?