Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a system capable of detecting drunk drivers that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on October 26th, 2022, published on May 2nd, 2024, and assigned serial number 0142777.
The Ford Authority Take
With deaths related to drunk driving continuously on the rise, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has long supported the notion of implementing impaired-driving prevention technology into future vehicles. Ford has also been an advocate for drunk driving prevention for many years now, even going so far as to create a game that illustrates just how drinking impacts our driving skills in a negative way, all while filing patents for ideas such as a distracted driving detection system and an advanced occupant detection system that aim to reduce accidents in various ways. Now, this latest patent filing keeps that trend going with an idea for a system capable of detecting drunk drivers that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.
While in some cases, breathalyzers are installed in vehicles that don’t allow users to operate them if they’re intoxicated, this system proposes a different method for accomplishing the same goal. In this case, Ford proposes using a system that asks the user to look straight ahead, after which it determines if that user’s head posture and eye gaze are aligned properly. If that’s the case, the system proceeds to obtain eye movement data to determine if they’re intoxicated or not.
If the user is indeed intoxicated, the system would prevent them from operating the vehicle, and would instead give them a few options. Those include calling a friend for a ride, or even a ride sharing service, which would theoretically keep more drunk drivers off the road. It’s unclear if such a system would ever actually make it to a production vehicle, but with the aforementioned government support, it’s certainly possible.
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Comments
It’s been 40 years since 1984, but we’re catching up fast.
Won’t buy that car or the system will be removed immediately;
The Ford computer can’t keep the taillights on in a Maverick and it is supposed to determine if someone is intoxicated via a camera?