Jalopnik: Breathalyzer

AvMap, Peugeot Team Up For Breathalyzer-Equipped GPS

Travis Hudson — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT

We're not sure if this is a testament to French drivers or just Peugeot owners in general, but AvMap has announced a partnership with Peugeot for a breathalyzer-equipped GPS navigation unit called the Geosat 6 Drive Safety. The unit will be an available option for the Peugeot 107 Sweet Years. The driver simply blows into the upper right side of the device to receive a blood alcohol level, and is then allowed to determine if he or she is fit for the road. No potential for abuse there, no siree.

As a GPS navigation unit, the Drive Safety isn't too shabby. It includes a 4.8-inch touchscreen as well as text-to-speech, Bluetooth and more. It's an optional €449 accessory, which translates to about $700 United States dubya-fun-bucks. [GPS Business News]

Lindsay Lohan Poster Girl For Breathalyzer Ignition Interlocks

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT

You know you've made it as a hard partying celeb when yours face is chosen by paranoid delusional persons as that of drunk driving goddess incarnate. Lindsay Lohan is just so lucky. Her 2007 DUI mugshot is featured prominently as the example of those kinds of people who need an in-car breathalyzer ignition interlock, versus you know, the regular drinky-drivers. It's all part of a newspaper ad from the confusing folks at Interlock Facts who want to make sure those dastardly "anti-alcohol activists" don't get to put a breathalyzer in your car. We hate to break it to you "Interlock Facts", but on the list of things to be paranoid about, this one is pretty damn far down. We do give you points for your mean-spirited ads though. Full spot below the fold.

Paid for by the American Beverage Institute, eh? Why would they care?

NDrive GPS Navigation Unit Includes Breathalyzer

Travis Hudson — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST

I'm still having a bit of a hard time wrapping my brain around this concept. The G400 is a GPS navigation unit from NDrive that includes a breathalyzer. I guess it is a good way to judge whether or not you should be driving, but my usual rule of thumb is that if I've had enough drinks to warrant the use of a breathalyzer, I should probably hand off the keys regardless. And GPS navigation units are hard enough to figure out as is, just try to do it while slightly inebriated.

From the information at hand, it seems that it requires you to blow into the device every time it is fired up, which could be a major inconvenience for the other 95 percent of the time when you are driving to work, school or to run errands and not driving home from the bar. This device will be available soon for $300, but seems to only be sold in Portugal, at least for now. [Navigadget]

Hold the Sake! Japanese Automakers Working On Booze Lockouts

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 15:00:00 EDT

Toyota and Nissan are both accelerating development of lockouts that would make it difficult or impossible for a tippler to travel. Nissan's contemplating a very long PIN code that would be hard for a drunk to operate, while Toyota's playing with breathalyzer technology. The effort follows a rash of media coverage in the land of the rising sun following a number of high-profile drunk-driving incidents, including one where an inebriated motorist knocked a car off a bridge, killing three children.

Japanese automakers developing cars that refuse drunk drivers [Mainichi Daily News]

Related:
Saab Develops Breathalizer Key [Internal]