March 2019 e-newsletter

Update: DADSS Prototype Testing in Virginia

The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) Program is researching a first-of-its-kind technology that holds great potential for stopping drunk driving. This in-car technology will automatically detect when a driver is intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above 0.08%.

Virginia became the first state to use NHTSA highway safety grant funds to partner with the DADSS Program through the Department of Motor Vehicles. The partnership is called Driven to Protect. In September 2018, the DADSS Program joined the Virginia DMV and James River Transportation (JRT) to conduct in-vehicle tests on Virginia roads with JRT drivers and fleet vehicles. This fleet — comprising four Ford Flex vehicles based at the Richmond and Norfolk airports — is collecting data and feedback to not only test the devices in regular driving conditions, but to understand how real drivers interact with the sensors. The data and insights will be used by the DADSS Program to further the development of the technology. Read more here.

Watch a video on the DADSS system here:

Watch VA Governor Ralph Northam test the system here.

Pedestrian Deaths in US Approach Highest Number in Nearly 30 Years

Pedestrian Deaths in US Approach Highest Number in Nearly 30 Years

The report cited alcohol use, speeding, unsafe infrastructure and the prevalence of SUVs as some of the biggest problems contributing to the fatalities. Read more at the Governors Highway Safety Administration website and on the PBS website.

“We’ve done a good job of educating people about drunk driving and the dangers,” Adkins said. “But we haven’t reminded people that if you’re too hammered to get behind the wheel, you may be too hammered to walk home in the dark.” pbs