The UK Government's Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) is developing the technology for a new campaign against drugged and drunk drivers. Data on drug-related accidents are lacking due to a lack of on-scene drug detection technology. HOSDB is developing intoxication testing devices. Based on a miniature Sony Vaio tablet PC, the Roadside Impairment Test Device (RITD) will present a suspect driver with objective tests designed to assess manual dexterity and state of alertness. The currently used field impairment tests are highly subjective. One RITD test will measure a suspect's ability to sustain attention to a task and respond to a stimulus, such as pressing a button according to what type of road sign appears. A tracking test will be used to check a driver's ability to follow a moving object on the screen. There are problems with developing tests that are useful across the whole population, as the ability to use fine motor control on a computer varies between different people. When the RITD goes into service, drivers it shows to be impaired would undergo a roadside swab test that will give an instant read-out on the drugs they have taken, based on surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.
Samenvatting