Ignition Interlock System In Cars: Drunk driving is one of the major reasons for road accidents in the country. Often people drink alcohol on special occasions during festivals and drive drunk, then often incidents like Kanjhawala of Delhi happen. Despite this, people do not stop and drive drunk. By doing this, they put their lives as well as the lives of other people on the road at risk. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that there is less fear among people that they might get caught while doing so.
Police force is limited. In such a situation, it is not possible to stop everyone, but Australia has used a unique technology in vehicles to deal with this problem. After which no policeman is required to stop drink and drive, rather the vehicle itself helps in stopping it. This is called ignition interlock system. In this, even if a person tries to drive after drinking alcohol, the vehicle will not start at all. Let’s know how this technique works…
ignition interlock system
A technology called the Ignition Interlock System used in Australia prevents the driver from driving under the influence of alcohol. If the driver is drunk then the car will not start. Actually, in this system, you have to give a sample of your breath to start the vehicle. The interlock also has a camera attached to it that captures a picture of the person providing the breath sample.
different laws to prevent
The government has also made strict laws to prevent this. The government amended the Motor Vehicles Act in 2019 and increased the fine for drunken driving from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000. If someone is caught doing this again, then the fine can increase up to Rs 15,000 and can also be jailed for up to two years. There are different laws regarding this crime in the world. In the United Kingdom, the penalty for doing so is unlimited and is decided by the administration hearing the case. In Sweden, this offense is punishable by imprisonment of up to two years and, in severe cases, suspension of the license for two years or more.
road accident statistics
According to India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, there were 14,071 accidents due to drunk driving in 2017, which fell to 9,150 in 2021. Also, related deaths are expected to drop from 4,776 in 2017 to 3,314 in 2021. The share of drunken driving in total accidents has also come down from 3 per cent in 2017 to 2.2 per cent in 2021. In such a situation, the Government of India should consider implementing this technique after thoroughly examining it. This can be a good step to prevent accidents caused by drink and drive.
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