Given the pharmacological actions of alcohol on the central nervous system and its widespread use in western societies its effects on human skills' performance are highly evident and quantiable in terms of traffic fatalities, injuries and economic loss. This paper addresses the possibilities of using instrumentation to enable individuals to make an informed choice about whether to drive a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol or to render the vehicles of drunk-drivers highly visible to other road users and police by requiring the operation of an interlock system. Interlock systems have been designed on the basis of performance measures and breath analysis for alcohol and they are reviewed as a possible condition for convicted drink-drive offenders to be allowed to drive. A number of breath analysis devices areavailable for use by the general public. However some doubts remain on the long-term accuracy and reliability of self-testing electronic devices in the hands of the public because regular calibration appears to be necessary to ensure that the readings are accurate and correct.
Abstract