Volvo launched new technology to fight drunk driving

Volvo, a company who has built their reputation on safety, has decided to address a problem that is the cause of one third of all traffic fatalities in Europe - drunk driving. Volvo believes that preventing drunk drivers from every starting their vehicles is the key to preventing drunk driving fatalities, so they introduced the Alcoguard.

Alcoguard can read a driver's blood alcohol level and will prevent the vehicle from being started if the driver exceeds the limit. The device, which uses fuel-cell technology, is connected wirelessly to a hand-held unit. The driver must blow into the unit, wait for a reading, then start the car.

It's hard to argue with safety and the prevention of fatalities on the road. In the United States in 2006, there were a total of 42,642 traffic fatalities and 41% of them (17,602) were alcohol related. Although Volvo has not indicated plans to bring the device to the American market, these staggering numbers reveal that we may have a much bigger problem here.