Preventing Impaired Driving Using IoT on Steering Wheels Approach

To drive safely, one must be attentive, coordinated, have good judgment, and be able to respond quickly to changing conditions. In certain countries, improving safety may depend largely on reducing the number of impaired drivers on the road. Therefore, solutions are required to reduce the risk that is posed on the road by drivers who have been consuming alcohol while driving. Previous research has proposed the use of sensors for detecting driver impairment caused by alcohol intoxication. However, relying on a gas sensor alone may not be appropriate for detection. To reduce drunk driving, this study proposes an Internet of Things (IoT)-based tool that measures heart rate and analyzes the breath of a driver for traces of alcohol. The tool represents a vehicle that is made up of a DC motor. In the circumstance that the tool detects a higher than resting heart rate in the driver as well as an amount of alcohol in the driver’s breath sample, the tool will immediately power down the DC motor and send an SMS to the registered emergency contact with the driver’s precise position using the GPS module. The initial prototype demonstrates the tool as a potential aftermarket accessory for vehicles. The implication of this paper is that the designed tool might be of practical use to researchers in their attempts to determine and obtain information on alcohol intoxication. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2024-05-02-012 Full Text: PDF