The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has unveiled an alcohol-detection vehicle technology that “could potentially save thousands of lives each year.”

Considering that alcohol-impaired driving crashes kill nearly 10,000 people annually in the United States, this promise cannot be neglected. The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) program is a research partnership between NHTSA and an industry consortium with the aim of developing technology to prevent alcohol-impaired drivers from operating their vehicles while under the influence.

NHTSA unveiled a test vehicle equipped with mock-up DADSS technology that researchers will use to examine driver interactions with the system. “Education, awareness and enforcement have succeeded in dramatically reducing drunk driving fatalities, but the advanced technology of DADSS brings enormous potential to save even more lives,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

According to the NHTSA, the technology has enormous potential to prevent drunk driving in specific populations such as teen drivers and commercial fleets. Furthermore, making it an option available to vehicle owners would provide a powerful new tool in the battle against drunk driving deaths.

The DADSS program currently has two technology prototypes under development: one that detects alcohol levels by touch, another by sensing the driver’s breath. The objective is to complete the necessary research within the next 5 years that would support the introduction of technologies into the vehicle fleet.

Scroll down to see how both systems work from the following video.

VIDEO