PinA recent article published in the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing indicated that in the not-so-distant future, police officers could have a new and very powerful tool to help fight drunk driving. A new high-tech laser device has been shown useful in detecting the presence of alcohol vapor. What makes the device truly amazing is that it can work even when aimed at moving vehicles.

Scientists say that the device works by shining a laser at speeding vehicles. The laser is then reflected back off a mirror located across the roadway and into the device. The machine will be able to detect small concentrations of alcohol vapor in the air of the vehicle cabin. Specifically, the study found that the tool was able to zero in on alcohol exhaled by a drunk driver.

The lasers work in much the same way that laser speed detectors do. The difference is that rather than focusing on the time it takes for the beam to bounce back, the device will focus on subtle changes in the laser beam as it passes through the interior of a vehicle. Scientists say that the lasers can be used to detect the presence of certain chemical compounds in the air.

The machine not only works, but is also remarkably sensitive and able to detect alcohol when it is in concentrations greater than 0.1 percent. Researchers say that with a little more fine-tuning it might be made even more sensitive, possibly detecting alcohol concentrations as low as 0.05 percent.

Though some feel the technology has promise, others point out that it could lead to unnecessary harassment of perfectly sober drivers given the many ways the device could be fooled. For instance, if more than one person is in a car, the laser would not be able to differentiate between alcohol vapor emitted from the driver and the vapor emitted from passengers. That means a driver could be stone cold sober and still get pulled over for driving home an intoxicated friend.

Additionally, the device would also not be able to differentiate a drunk driver from a car where alcohol had been spilled in the interior. In both cases, the flawed machine could lead to unnecessary traffic stops and invasive questioning and possibly even testing of perfect safe and legal drivers.

Though technological improvements are welcome when they advance the greater good, in this case it appears that the proposed device would only increase the number of times innocent drivers must interact with police officers. The machines could be used against all drivers, taking away the requirement that officers must first have reason to believe a driver is actually impaired before initiating a traffic stop.

Source: “Roadside Laser Could Remotely Detect Drivers’ Alcohol Breath,” by Douglas Main, published at PopSci.com.