Study: Alcohol-detection Systems Could Save 9,000 Lives a Year

Itasca, IL – The National Safety Council supports the findings of a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that shows alcohol-detection systems that prevent people from driving drunk could save about 9,000 lives a year. NSC has long backed such systems and is encouraged to learn this study bears out their life-saving potential.

Alcohol-impaired driving has been a scourge in the U.S. for decades, claiming 10,511 lives in 2018, accounting for over a quarter of all traffic deaths that year. NSC knows systems that are able to detect alcohol in drivers’ blood and prevent them from driving can help make roadways in the country safer for all road users. This study showing the thousands of lives saved from such systems strengthens the case for their implementation in all vehicles, and NSC urges requirements for this life-saving technology as soon as possible.

NSC is encouraged by technology options to prevent alcohol-impaired driving, and we encourage automakers to install the technology without waiting on mandates. Advancing life-saving technology in vehicles and infrastructure is a pillar of the Road to Zero strategy supported by NSC, and this is a clear indication of how important it is in reaching our goal of zero deaths. Thousands of lives are at stake each year – we have the technology to save those lives; now we must act.

About the National Safety Council
The National Safety Council is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for over 100 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace, roadway and impairment. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.

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Study: Alcohol-detection Systems Could Save 9,000 Lives a Year

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