Road accidents are the leading cause of death among young people, while thousands of lives are lost every year on the streets of Europe, with the main causes being speeding and alcohol consumption.
The European Parliament is therefore taking even tougher measures to reduce road accidents, with the legal framework expected to become even stricter for those who defy the dangers of the most dangerous habit of thousands of drivers – to stay behind the wheel. alcohol. The numbers are indisputable witnesses. At European level, one in four deaths on asphalt is due to drunk driving.
From next July, according to today's front page article of the newspaper NEA, all new models that will gain type approval in European Union member states must have the alcoholometer in their basic equipment. This device will be available as a built-in system in all new-future cars and its role will be to detect if the driver has consumed large amounts of alcohol.
It will lock the engine
In particular, when the driver enters the car and before starting the vehicle with the key, the breathalyzer will require the driver to blow into the special mouth of a respirator to determine whether he has used alcohol and whether he is able to drive, according to and with the limits that apply in each country. If the driver is found to have consumed more alcohol than required by law, then the engine will not start and the car will be parked.
Alcohol Interlock comes in the wake of a sad survey that found that although more than 30,000 drivers in Europe have been disqualified for excessive alcohol consumption, more than 30% (around 10,000) continue to drive without a license.
In fact, in 2024, alcohol tracking systems will be mandatory for all new cars sold in EU Member States.
Zero tolerance
Every year more than 20,000 people are lost on the streets of Europe, with 25% of deaths due to driving under the influence of alcohol. For this reason, even the elimination of alcohol limits is considered and consequently the closing of the “windows” to those who continue to drive having consumed even a minimal. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania, however, have already set a zero threshold. In the case of Cyprus, a driver is considered under the influence of intoxication when alcohol in excess of 22μg% is detected.
Source: in.gr
