Toyota working on car that prevents drunk driving

Tokyo (Japan) - Toyota Motor Corporation is working on developing a new system that would enable cars to detect if the driver is under the influence, and will go into a lockdown mode if there are signs he or she is drunk, reports the Associated Press.

Reportedly, the system would plant sensors in the steering wheel, which would be able to pick up such triggers as the level of alcohol in the driver’s sweat or if the driver is steering erratically. Additionally, a special in-car camera would be able to detect if the driver’s pupils are not in focus. Any one of these red flags would cause the car to stop.

Even with continued public awareness and countless PSAs, drunk driving still accounts for half of traffic fatalities. Similar technologies have been experimented with by other car companies, like Nissan, though there has not yet been a mass rollout of in-car alcohol detection systems. Toyota is reportedly working on having the technology finalized by 2009.