Norfolk, Virginia-Imagine a world without drunk driving. This may seem impossible, but a new technology developed in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is close to achieving this goal.

Within three to four years, the car may be equipped with a special built-in function to detect the driver's blood alcohol content.

"In 2020 alone, Virginia reported 6,624 alcohol-related car accidents," said Virginia DMV Commissioner Richard Holcomb.

Last year, the careless choice of driving under the influence took 272 lives across the British Commonwealth.

Holcomb said: "As we celebrate the holidays, please remember that countless Virginians, their lives will never be the same."

Holcomb said a new technology is closer than ever to lowering these fatal numbers. On Wednesday, he announced that the trucking company Schneider is trialling blood alcohol measurement systems on some of their large drilling platforms.

The system was created through the Driver Alcohol Safety Detection System (DADSS) program.

"This is definitely a new milestone," said Rob Strassburger of the Traffic Safety Auto Union. "We are deploying our most advanced breathing prototypes in Schneider Motors. Each of these vehicles will drive approximately 100,000 miles in a year."

Strassburger said that the trial will test the system to the greatest extent possible, bringing it closer to widespread use in all cars.

"There is an opportunity to conduct a lifetime worthwhile test in a short period of time under extreme conditions," Strassburger said.

Officials said the system can measure the alcohol content in the driver's blood in less than a second. They stated that it will draw the driver’s breath into the built-in sensor located in the driver’s side door or steering column. If their BAC is too high, the car will not start.

"The car manufacturer may decide that the car can be started, but it cannot be moved, so you can charge your phone and call a taxi," Strassburger said. "And if the vehicle does not start, other manufacturers may be more comfortable."

Strassburger said that this technology should enter the showroom around 2024 or 2025. He said that educating the public is the key to the next step.

"I am very confident that we will develop efficient technology, but if it is not used, if consumers reject it, if they have the motivation to defeat it, we have not changed anything," Strassburger said.

Officials said that Schneider Truck Freight will begin using the blood alcohol system in eight of their taxis in 2022.

Officials stated that James River Transportation also tested the system on some of their vehicles.

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