...AND CHEAPER...:

[R]ecently the Department of Transportation unveiled the latest steps toward developing anti-drunken-driving technology that would allow a car to detect drivers impaired by alcohol and stop them from turning on the car.

Auto safety officials demonstrated a new test vehicle equipped with special touch pads that can instantly measure whether a driver has been drinking. The technology, which could exist on the steering wheel or the starter button of keyless ignitions, could become a reality for consumers as soon as the end of the decade.

A competing system being developed captures drivers' breath and instantly analyzes it for alcohol content. Research into both systems is being financed by auto regulators and a consortium of automakers as part of what is known as the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety program.

The goal is for at least one of the two options -- or both, possibly working together -- to be ready by 2020 and available as optional equipment on most vehicles sold in the United States.

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