Nissan unveils concept car with anti-drunk driving technology

Just as expected, Nissan has indeed rolled out a concept vehicle that showcases its long-awaited anti-drunk driving technology. The vehicle sports "multiple preventative features" designed to curb inebriated operation of vehicles, and essentially detects the driver's state of sobriety and kicks into action if you've had a bit much. Amongst the detection agents are alcohol odor sensors built into the locking shift knob, seat-mounted sensors that can activate a voice and navigation screen warning, and a facial monitoring system that determines your "state of consciousness through your eyes." Regrettably, there's still no word as to when this system could actually hit showroom floors, but if the automaker has shelled out enough dough to craft a concept vehicle, we'd imagine it's not too far out.

[Via TheAutoChannel]

[Paul @ Aug 3rd 2007 3:53PM]

OOOOO...I love paying extra for features that could possibly screw me over!

[derek @ Aug 3rd 2007 5:07PM]

Or save someone's life

[SimbaDogg @ Aug 3rd 2007 5:40PM]

possibly screw you over...please explain, hopefully you're not saying you plan to drive hammered

[Paul @ Aug 3rd 2007 6:05PM]

Screw you over as in does not work properly and stops the car for no reason leaving you stranded. Sure it adds "safety" against those who decide to drink and drive. On the other side lets say you don't drink AT ALL, EVER. Would you wanna pay an extra couple thousand dollars for these features in your car?

[byaah @ Aug 4th 2007 11:41AM]

Or perhaps you go somewhere and someone spills their alcoholic drink on you. It'll be great when your car wont start even though you didn't drink anything.

[Sam @ Aug 3rd 2007 3:56PM]

What happens if you're the DD ferrying a bunch of drunks around? Does the car detect the smell of booze on everyone's breath and shut the car off?

[Tim @ Aug 3rd 2007 4:36PM]

^^ I was thinking the same thing. No more designated driving in Nissans. Nissan is only doing this because they topped a couple lists where they looked at what cars drunks were driving. More than any other manufacturer Nissan buyers are also drunk drivers.

[andy @ Aug 3rd 2007 3:57PM]

I think the drop in your insurance rates will probably cover the cost of the one 20 dollar alcohol vapor sensor on the ignition lockout that will eventually actually make it into production.

[HektikLyfe @ Aug 3rd 2007 4:00PM]

Knowing insurance companies, somehow they will find a way to charge more, not less, for this "feature."

[HektikLyfe @ Aug 3rd 2007 4:01PM]

Knowing insurance agencies, they will find some way to charge more, not less, for this "feature."

[andy @ Aug 3rd 2007 4:07PM]

kind of like they do for airbags, antilock brakes, and alarms?

Put your tin foil back on, they're coming for you.

[xezor @ Aug 3rd 2007 4:10PM]

What if you work/own at a bar?

[Alvin @ Aug 3rd 2007 4:17PM]

...Then you're allowed to drive drunk? Huh

[Nick @ Aug 3rd 2007 5:36PM]

@ andy

even if you havent consumed it.. you could smell of alcohol... especially if it was spilled on you.

[blooy @ Aug 3rd 2007 4:33PM]

The press release says it detects alcohol, not from odor, but perspiration on the palm. Wonder how many times testers had to get drunk to make sure it worked correctly.

[Spyvie @ Aug 3rd 2007 4:34PM]

I don't drive drunk, I don't even drink much at all anymore.

There is no way I'd buy a car with any of these "features"

[Wesley Pitts @ Aug 3rd 2007 4:35PM]

Way to create a car that no one will want to buy.

[Nick @ Aug 3rd 2007 5:40PM]

they ought to put this feature in their models geared towards young people. Its possible that this feature would have a family choose to buy a nissan car over a honda for their teenager.. or a family car that a teenager would sharing.

[joey @ Aug 3rd 2007 4:49PM]

I cant wait to these get in all Nissans. It will be funny when they malfunction and strand completely sober drivers. The drivers will be questioned by police for blocking the road in a stalled car & the police will see the dash warning of a drunk driver. It'll be fun to see sober Nissan drivers having to take field sobriety tests before their broke car is towed away. All because some sensor fails.

[Membrane @ Aug 9th 2007 2:14PM]

That would likely happen if this was marketed as these things often fail in a real world situation.
Other failure modes would be the sensor goes off because you used hand cleaner that had alcohol or even fuel containing alcohol so don't use green fuels or even oxygenated gas with this car .
Also it will not stop drunk drivers some one who does drive drunk often will simply ware gloves or go as far as disabling the sensor worst case it would take would take a $2 micro controller and some code to mimic a valid BAC response from the sensor to trick the ECM the system is intact if it ties in that way.
If it becomes semi common simplified howtos would likely be posted on the internet two weeks after this product hits the streets.
This is why any drunk driving charge must have not one but two breathalyser tests done with a 15 minute span separating them if this is not done the charge cannot hold up in court.
Also this is why the breathalyser and blood test are the only two accurate means of getting a reliable BAC reading they tried the sweat thing it doesn't work and the people who did the research did a lot more research then nissan who must have not done any real world tests at all did on their poorly conceived system.
Also noticed one of their concepts the Pivo was so ugly you just couldn't look at it with out getting sick.
I'm surprised something that is such an eyesore made it to the prototype stage.
Actually all their 2007 concepts were ugly but the Pivo just forced me to completely reevaluate my entire concept of ugly congratulations Nissan you made a car that is so ugly it makes the Pacer,Aztek, and Prius look as cool as a high dollar Italian sports cars by comparison.

[Brian @ Aug 3rd 2007 4:56PM]

So... Seeing as hand sanitizer has alcohol in it, would using this prior to driving disable your car?

[strider_mt2k @ Aug 3rd 2007 4:57PM]

How about stricter laws to make folks think twice about it before it happens?

I'm thinking a nice public death, perhaps gruesome.

-or the organ banks!

[xj @ Aug 3rd 2007 5:00PM]

so if I get in this thing drunk, get arrested or injured while driving drunk, can I sue Nissan? I mean it's supposed to prevent that sort of thing...

[Sparky @ Aug 3rd 2007 5:10PM]

Can it be fitted in the Space Shuttle?


http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/astronautreport.html

[nitr0gen @ Aug 3rd 2007 5:26PM]

hahaha Sparky! :D

[Alex @ Aug 3rd 2007 5:16PM]

This is the dumbest waste of money any company could shell out for a vehicle.

[Ronald McD @ Aug 3rd 2007 5:37PM]

I'm amazed how short-sighted so many people are. Drunk driving is a very real and horrendous problem. I'm disgusted whenever I hear about an innocent person being killed by someone who is DUI (I'm even more disgusted when we find out that the drunk driver had priors, yet he/she isn't behind bars, but I digress...).

This is a great step in the right direction. I doubt Nissan expects the average consumer to want to spend more money for these features, but you have to understand that it has to start somewhere! These things take time to evolve. The fact of the matter is, Nissan is moving the industry towards more social responsibility. How can you criticize them for that? It will take time, but anti-drunk driving technology has the potential to become a standard (and even government enforced) feature. I'm all for this.

[Rik @ Aug 3rd 2007 5:39PM]

Ah great, a system that completely neglects the fact that people have their own responsibility in life! When did they start development, in 1984?

[Jaime Duende el Chingon @ Aug 3rd 2007 5:55PM]

Fuck that shit. Who would want a fucking car that narcs on you or turns off when drunk. You would have to be a retard to buy a car with that shit.Come on if people want to drive drunk let them. What do they expect you to do leave your car and take a cab. Screw that!!!

[Fred @ Aug 3rd 2007 6:04PM]

I had a car with a "theft deterrent" system that would shut off the fuel if you tried to start it without the key. Problem was, something was wrong with the sensor (the dealership never was able to fix it) and it would occasionally kick in (using the same key I had been using all along) and I was stranded for 15min until I was allowed to TRY to start my car again.

No thanks.

[Craig @ Aug 3rd 2007 6:16PM]

what if you're a butter-face and always look drunk?

[randy @ Aug 3rd 2007 6:45PM]

First time you're caught drunk driving, you're incarcerated for a month and your license is suspended for 5 years. What's wrong with that?

And gosh if lawmakers really cared about cleaning up the streets from vagrant slobs who drunk drive they'd enact a law requiring cops (local cops, oh no! GASP!) to probe your U.S. citizenship status while they're busting you. At the very least the prosecutor at the drunk driver's court hearing should expose that info. Shucks that may not make it into the trial, but it's DEFINITELY a relevant statistic and should at least be heard in the sentencing. State's attorneys should CC ICE while they're at it.

I'm not saying a drunk illegal San Diego resident is any more disgusting than some pathetic, wasted hillbilly driving on some backroad in Vermont, but we can be at least sure the illegal resident won't do it again if they've been booted out of the country entirely.

Hey, if the fatality statistics for urban illegals driving drunk are the same as everybody else, I apologize. But with their demographics (50% of them under 25), I'm guessing they've got to be staggering.

[RAWR @ Aug 3rd 2007 8:08PM]

slap a ziploc baggie over the shifter. there goes 500K in R&D.

[kuzu-b @ Aug 3rd 2007 8:08PM]

HEY! THEY DON'T HAVE THE EXACT PERFECT SOLUTION TO STOP THE HORRIBLE PROBLEM THAT IS DRUNK DRIVING, SO LET'S NOT EVEN TRY! RIGHT? RIGHT? BETTER YET, LET'S ALL RIDICULE A COMPANY THAT IS ACTUALLY TRYING TO HELP SAVE LIVES!

What a bunch of dumbasses.

[Jim @ Aug 3rd 2007 9:04PM]

No one said not to try. They are writing that these solutions wont be successful for all the reasons listed above. Its not dumb to ridicule a stupid idea. Come up with a better solution that cant be easily bypassed and people wont be tearing the idea apart. No one here is pro drunk driving. They are just against poorly thought through solutions.

[kuzu-b @ Aug 3rd 2007 9:55PM]

Have you tried this system out for yourself? Do you know anyone personally that has? I didn't think so. I am not against objective criticism. I am just against poorly thought through, ignorant ones.

[Tally @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:01PM]

kuzu, take it down a notch. No need to YELL. RIGHT? RIGHT? If you read peoples posts you would see they are just pointing out the flaws in this ridiculous technology. It is ridiculous so it can be ridiculed. The only dumbass on here is you for yelling and chastising us for posting factual comments about why this particular technology is a waste of time & money.

[Christy @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:06PM]

If you are against poorly thought through, ignorant criticism then you should keep your loud reply to just those posts, not aimed at everyone. Just like I am only replying to your post. You must not have thought through your criticism before you posted. Better yell at yourself for that one, dumbass.

[Oliver @ Aug 3rd 2007 8:37PM]

Why not just pop a breath mint, put on some gloves, then some sunglasses to shield your eyes? pwned!

[Tim @ Aug 3rd 2007 8:53PM]

That is why this is a dumb idea. All these sensors and there is no way to stop drunk driving. Even those breath test devices convicted drunk drivers have can be bypassed. The thing stoping drunk drivers with the breath devices is the fear of being caught again if they fail in bypassing the device - since the device registers the blow. The device itself doesnt stop those drivers - the fear of being caught does. So these sensors that dont report back to police wont stop the drivers. It will only make them figure out ways to bypass it.

A bunch of sensors isnt going to stop the drunks. You have to stop them before the decision to drive is made. Tougher laws will make people think twice. Not sensors that can be bypassed using gloves, plastic bags, etc.

[Christy @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:23PM]

Kuzu, you are just as bad as all of them. Calling people out to come up with a better solution but offering none of your own. Pathetic. You are just taking their bait and looking like the "dumbass", your words not mine, in the end.

Whats with that last post about being inefficient? You completely lost me there.

[Tim @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:29PM]

Kuzu-b, I used to work with Smart Start one of the leading ignition interlock device manufacturers. Based on your comments it sounds like I know more about this subject than you ever will. What are your credentials since you are so keen on bashing others comments?

[andy @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:40PM]

@ tim

re tougher laws:

Are you sure about that? Most "drunk drivers" are in the .08 to .1 range now, which was legal just a couple of years ago. They really aren't toooooo impaired to be driving, but they really don't know. I can see a device like this cutting those people out because instead of wondering whether that one beer exceeded the legal limit or not they'd know, and just call a cab.


You're right that it's not going to stop the alcoholics who like to drive blindly drunk. They'll disable it, but that's a whole other set of problems that these types of devices aren't supposed to address.

[cracko @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:54PM]

"Why would I be that inefficient? If your are not one of the people I am referring to, then you don't have to worry about it now do you? Better get better at evaluating logical choices, dumbass."
kuzu-b @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:11PM

LOL! Crazy kuzu-b telling us to make better logical choices. You sound like a raving lunatic. Thanks for the good laugh.

[Tim @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:54PM]

Andy, I see your point. I think that driving even under the legal limit is not safe or right. If this device lets the partially impaired drive then it really isnt doing much good. Alcoholics will not buy these cars or, as you wrote, will bypass the devices. Those that are just over the legal limit are coherent enough to bypass the device. You would be surprised at some of the tricks I’ve seen extremely drunk drivers do to similar devices. Devices like this that aren’t tied into law enforcement do little to deter drunk drivers. Those drivers just spend a little time and some trial and error to get the car moving.

I am a firm believer that stricter laws are the only true deterrent to curb drunk driving. There is no argument for not having stricter laws unless the person opposing them commonly makes the decision to drive buzzed. Lower the BAC level, give higher mandatory jail time and increase the fines. At some level people will think before they drink. They will get a cab, have a DD or choose not to drink at all.

[kuzu-b @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:08PM]

Like I said, do you have ANY firsthand exposure to this car? Have you ever seen it demonstrated? Have you read any reports on results of field test as to whether it works or not? No? Then you aren't pointing out anything, you are just being the typical internet critic. Why don't you build a car designed to curb drunk driving then we can compare the two, since you are obviously so much more of an expert than Nissan is.

[kuzu-b @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:11PM]

Why would I be that inefficient? If your are not one of the people I am referring to, then you don't have to worry about it now do you? Better get better at evaluating logical choices, dumbass.

[Kei @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:24PM]

people need to relax, this isn't supposed to stop 100% of drunk drivers but to at least stop SOME drunks.

Let's put it this way though, if you're smart enough to know you need to put glasses on, have a couple of mints, relax a bit and then drive, you're probably not that drunk in the first place!

It's to stop serious drunks, simple as that!

[hunter @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:33PM]

Be careful! Kuzu-b is on a rampage. He/she may think your comment as supports under the limit driving. Kuzu-b seems to be taking all comments out of context.

[Joan @ Aug 3rd 2007 11:07PM]

The only reason Nissan is doing this is because of monetary gain, or more precise to stop losses. Don't be naive and think a for profit company is putting people before profits. Actuaries like myself know insurance rates are higher on cars that are used for drunk driving. Nissan knows their cars are used or caught more than other manufacturers. They are trying to find ways to keep from losing sales of people looking at higher insurance rates than the competition. If you think Nissan is out to save the world one drunk at a time then you are foolish. That's not to say this isn't a good start for the technology. I am just pointing out the motivation behind this technology isn't altruistic.