Pushbuttons v. Drunks

The party's over. Now for that long drive back home to sleep it off. You weave your way to your 1975 Chevrolet, climb in, settle back and turn the ignition key. Five numbers light up in red on your dashboard -and quickly go out. What were they? You try to repeat that sequence by quickly punching five numbered buttons in the proper order; in your stupor, you are too slow -or you get one number wrong. Try again. A different sequence of numbers flashes on. Another miss. Better pull yourself together and concentrate. But you fail for the third time and you know that now the car won't start at all for another half-hour; it has sensed that you are not sober enough to drive safely.

Science fiction? Not according to Trevor O. Jones, automotive-safety products director for General Motors' AC Electronics Division. He has developed and already built a prototype of a physiological tester that, installed in the dashboard, can judge a driver's condition and -if necessary -prevent him from starting his car. If the electronic device proves effective in tests this summer with volunteers from Marquette University School of Medicine, it may some day be standard safety equipment in U.S. automobiles.

Jones was inspired to invent his tester by highway statistics, which show that half of the drivers involved in fatal accidents have alcohol in their blood. But the device -which is designed to screen drunks by testing judgment, visual acuity, short-term memory and coordinated motor response -will also weed out drug users and those who are mentally or physically deficient. To satisfy the demanding gadget, a driver must be able to read the relatively small lighted numbers, memorize them, recall them, and punch them into the keyboard in a coordinated response within a few seconds. If he can perform these functions he is fit for the road. If he cannot -in three tries -the tester shuts off for a half-hour, giving him time to sober up before another attempt.

General Motors is aware that the public will not stampede to buy and install the testers, no matter how inexpensive they are. "Who wants to buy something that will curb his own mobility?" admits Jones. But if the device is perfected, there eventually could be legislation to require its installation in all cars. "That's what happened with seat belts," he notes.

Before any such laws are passed, Jones must build a few additional safeguards into his brainchild. How, for example, can the tester prevent an inebriated driver from cheating by calling on a friend or parking-lot attendant for help?

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