Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, Inc. (ACTS),

 a Virginia non-profit, announced that the first product equipped with new alcohol detection technology will be available for open-source licensing in commercial vehicles for the first time ever, in late 2021.

The new technology is the result of extensive research, development and testing by the 

, which is a public–private partnership between ACTS, which represents the world’s leading automakers, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The announcement is significant because it is the first time a product equipped with DADSS technology will come out of the lab and into commercial vehicles. It is also a major milestone in the Program’s quest to create a fully passive, non-invasive alcohol detection system that could have major implications in the fight to eliminate drunk driving. Unlike existing breathalyzers or interlocks, the DADSS technology can be seamlessly integrated into vehicles so there is no physical hardware in the vehicle cabin. A consumer version is still under development and is expected by 2024.

“Open-source licensing” means that the technology, which measures a driver’s breath alcohol concentration, will be made available to any product integrator for preparation into fleet vehicles — whether it be government vehicles, rental cars, transportation vehicles, trucking companies, etc.

ACTS will begin licensing the DADSS technology to product integrators now, and a device equipped with the breath technology will be made available in late 2021. The technology was originally scheduled to be released in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruption in supply chains which limited microchip availability.

“The availability of DADSS technology is an exciting moment in motor vehicle safety history and a victory for scientific innovation,” 

said Robert Strassburger, President & CEO of ACTS.

 “After extensive testing, we are proud to say that a product ‘powered by DADSS’ is coming this year. We hope this announcement will heighten awareness and interest in the DADSS technology, so we can hit the ground running when the first product is available later this year.

“DADSS technology will be a game changer in the fight to eliminate drunk driving, and that is why we continue to push ourselves to expedite the development of a system for consumer vehicles. This sophisticated technology — measuring a driver’s precise BAC in less than a second — is a true feat of biomedical and vehicle engineering. It is unlike anything ever designed for vehicles and requires further development to become fully passive for consumer use.”

“This achievement was made possible thanks to so many individuals who believe in the life-saving mission of DADSS and who worked tirelessly to get a product to market,” 

said Dr. Bud Zaouk, DADSS Program & Technical Manager.

 “We’re already hard at work preparing the technology for future use in consumer vehicles and are currently in the next phase of testing to ensure the systems are fast, accurate, reliable and seamless for drivers. As a father, I’m personally excited to help build a safer world for my young children and for all parents who want to protect their loved ones with this technology.”

In the first-generation system, drivers provide a puff of breath directed towards a small sensor, which can be outfitted in the steering column or side door trim. Because it is designed for fleet operators implementing a zero-tolerance alcohol policy for their drivers, staff or employees, the system will give a “pass/fail” reading of the driver’s breath alcohol concentration. The first products integrated with DADSS technology are being manufactured by 

, a global leader in infrared gas measurement technology. More about the first-generation technology can be found 

, the first-generation system has undergone in-vehicle, on-road test trials with 

, a Richmond-based company. Since the partnership began in 2018, technology integrators have installed breath sensors into the company’s Ford Flex commercial vehicles; the data and feedback collected from the sensors, as well as from the drivers themselves, have been invaluable in finalizing the technology and preparing it for more widespread use in fleet vehicles.

The next-generation system being developed for widespread use in consumer vehicles is designed to be fully passive and will be able to measure specific alcohol concentrations up to 0.08% — the legal limit in most states — and above. It will not require a directed breath or other action, as the driver breathes normally into sensors outfitted in the steering column or side door trim. The system is being designed to take an accurate reading in a matter of seconds and will be able to tell the difference between a driver and any passengers. Extensive human subject testing in a hospital setting and human subject driving is ongoing and required to ensure the technology meets the exceptionally high standards required for accuracy, precision and reliability before it can be made available for consumers.

A comparison of the two systems can be found 

New iterations of the technology are expected to be announced in the coming years.

The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) Program is a public-private partnership between the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS), which represents the world’s leading automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Public-private partnerships like DADSS have led to innovations that enhance our everyday lives, such as the Internet, GPS and the microchip. The Program is researching a first-of-its-kind technology called the alcohol detection system that will detect when a driver is impaired with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above 0.08%, and prevent a vehicle from moving. The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department of Motor Vehicles has joined this program to support on-road testing and increase public awareness and acceptance of the technology through the Driven to Protect Initiative. For more information about the DADSS Program, visit 

Today, ACTS announced  the first product equipped with new alcohol detection technology from the DADSS Research Program will be available for open-source licensing in commercial vehicles for the first time ever, in late 2021.

New Alcohol Detection Technology From DADSS Coming to Commercial Vehicles This Year

On March 30th, Driven to Protect hosted the second webinar in the 

. Attendees were able to learn about how the DADSS alcohol detection technology can support fleet operators in furthering their safe driving goals while helping to eliminate drunk driving.

KEA Technologies President and CEO Dr. Bud Zaouk

 gave an in-depth look at how the alcohol detection technology works, and the importance of the development and testing process

. Impact Research, LLC Senior Research Scientist Dr. Rebecca Spicer 

provided insights into the critical role the technology plays in reducing roadway injuries and fatalities, particularly for fleets. And 

James River Transportation (JRT) President Stephen Story

 shared his perspective as Driven to Protect’s first fleet partner, highlighting the essential role JRT has played in collecting data from the sensors and the benefits of the technology for all fleets.

After learning about the importance of fleet partnerships in furthering the development of the life-saving technology, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions of the experts and hear more about the ways fleets have already impacted safe driving efforts in Virginia. 

George Bishop, deputy commissioner of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles

, moderated this Q&A with the panel of experts.

Click here to view the full webinar recording

Experts Share Insights into the Role of Fleets in Driven to Protect 

Alcohol Detection Technology Key to Tackling Impaired Driving, Meeting Goals of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)’s Most Wanted List of Transportation of Safety Improvements



Dulles, VA, April 6, 2021 – Today, the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS) issued the following statement on the 2021-2022 National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)’s Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements:

“We appreciate the NTSB’s continued focus on preventing alcohol impaired driving deaths and its ongoing belief in the promise of in-vehicle alcohol detection technologies like those being tested under the DADSS Program,” said Robert Strassburger, President & CEO of ACTS.

“Despite efforts by the traffic safety community and law enforcement, drunk driving remains the number one cause of fatalities on our roads. Technology holds the key to eliminating this threat, and DADSS technologies have been consistently recognized as the most promising and quickest pathway to prevent drunk driving fatalities on a large scale. They also remain the best choice for wide deployment at a cost, size and manner that will be accepted by consumers.”

The 

NTSB’s Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements

 is a communication tool through which the agency identifies its top safety improvements that when made will prevent accidents, reduce the number and severity of injuries, and save lives.

“Prevent Alcohol- and Other Drug-Impaired Driving” was adopted as one of NTSB’s 2021-2022 Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements. The DADSS Program has been included in the NTSB’s list of safety recommendations associated with the Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements for several years.

Data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) estimates that 9,400 deaths could be prevented each year if technology existed to prevent drivers from driving above a BAC level of 0.08, the legal limit in most states. The technology under the DADSS Program is the only technology being developed to measure or quantify precise blood alcohol concentrations – the “gold standard” for alcohol impairment – render a vehicle inoperable and prevent a legally intoxicated driver from driving drunk.

After years of successful research, the DADSS Program is preparing to commercialize the current breath system for use by fleet operators implementing a zero-tolerance alcohol policy for their drivers later this year. To date, the Program has driven over 65,000 test miles and analyzed nearly 150,000 breath, blood and touch samples through human subject and driving testing to ensure the technologies are accurate, precise and reliable before being introduced to consumers. Full commercialization in vehicles is expected in the next four years.

For more information about the DADSS Program, visit http://www.dadss.org

Dulles, VA, April 6, 2021 – Today, the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS) issued the following statement on the 2021-2022 National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)’s Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements:

Alcohol Detection Technology Key to Tackling Impaired Driving, Meeting Goals of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)’s Most Wanted List of Transportation of Safety Improvements

With 2020 behind us, the DADSS Research Program is looking forward to the year ahead as we continue the important work of developing life-saving vehicle–integrated alcohol detection technologies.

Below is a snapshot of what’s ahead for refinement of the breath and touch technologies, the planned resumption of our human subject testing, and continued activities to increase consumer awareness, acceptance and demand.


The breath system has reached an important milestone, and plans are in the works to begin commercial licensing the current GEN 3.3 system in late 2021 for use by fleets implementing a zero–tolerance alcohol policy for their drivers. This means DADSS technologies be on the road in higher quantities than ever before, and that engineers will have significantly more data to analyze – data that will be key to evolving the sensors into a next-generation GEN 4.0 system. This GEN 4.0 system is designed to be smaller and more easily integrated into passenger vehicles and will be the version that will be made available for installation in consumers’ passenger vehicles, likely by 2024.

Modeling of this system is already showing great results, and development efforts will continue in 2021 to ensure the system can attain the highest levels of consistent accuracy, precision and reliability needed before it is made available to the general public.

Manufacturing partners are already lined up for low-volume capacity to support commercialization of the GEN 3.3 systems in 2021, with high-volume capacity to follow in 2023.


The touch technology continues to progress, as program engineers focus on making improvements to the electronic system and integrating upgraded optics so the sensors will be faster, cheaper and use less power – which are all key to commercialization. In 2021, DADSS researchers will continue working with the program’s laser provider, Sensalight, to further reduce the size of the current touch system, which has already been successfully reduced by 89%. DADSS researchers hope to integrate next-generation touch sensors into test vehicles, which will follow with additional human subject testing.

Additional pilot deployments are possible either through our existing state partnerships or other public and private entities to support wider deployment of test vehicles across the U.S.

After successfully completing on-road and human subject testing for the GEN 3.2 breath sensors, program engineers will be retrofitting the new GEN 3.3 breath sensors into vehicles for a fresh round of human subject testing, which is scheduled to begin in Summer 2021. As the touch technology continues to progress, researchers hope to integrate next-generation touch sensors into test vehicles, which will follow with additional human subject testing.

Testing for the DADSS program is conducted in two ways. The first is human subjects testing – where humans are “dosed” with alcohol in a safe, tightly controlled environment at the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital. The second is human subjects driving – where sober drivers are mixed with “dosed” passengers in a natural vehicle environment to ensure the sensors accurately distinguish between drivers and passengers.

Both tests are equally important to ensuring the sensors operate with the highest levels of accuracy, precision and reliability before they can be made available to the general public.

State Partnerships & Consumer Awareness, Acceptance & Demand


While program managers continue their work, partnerships like the Driven to Protect Initiative will continue increasing consumer awareness, acceptance and demand for the technology. In 2020, the program launched a new Discovery Hub – a suite of online resources to provide a virtual, in-depth look at the technology and the development process. The Discovery Hub, now live, also has educational modules and videos designed to educate the public about the dangers of alcohol impaired driving.

While in-person events are expected to be somewhat limited in 2021 due to the pandemic, more exciting content will be added to the Discovery Hub, along with additional Ask the Experts webinars for the public to learn more about DADSS technologies. Stay tuned to dadss.org for more specific dates about these activities, and if you haven’t checked out the Discovery Hub, we invite you to do so by 

The Road Ahead in 2021

Dulles, VA, Feb. 12, 2021 – Today, the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) Program welcomed the issuance of a new safety standard by SAE International establishing rigorous performance standards for breath alcohol detection systems intended for integration into motor vehicles.

 is an important milestone towards the widespread deployment of driver alcohol detection technology in all motor vehicles. Having a safety standard that has been vetted and is widely accepted by the automotive industry will help facilitate the commercial deployment of the first DADSS derivative for use by fleet operators and parents who may want to impose a zero-tolerance policy for their teen drivers. Fleet deployment for the DADSS breath system is expected to take place later in 2021.

The SAE J3214™ standard establishes minimum performance specifications for future alcohol detection systems by defining the accuracy and precision requirements of breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) measurements, as well as the acceptable criteria and key parameters to test those requirements. Importantly, the SAE standard sets the performance requirements of the system for ethanol sensitivity, the response time, and the electrical, mechanical, and environmental conditions the system may encounter throughout the lifespan of the vehicle in which it is installed.

“The SAE standard is an enormous technical milestone and will be essential to helping the DADSS technology become commercially available,” said 

Bud Zaouk, the DADSS Program & Technical Manager

. “We’re excited that SAE International’s rigorous, peer-reviewed requirements are helping to advance ever–safer mobility systems.”

“With the publication of the SAE standard, DADSS is taking another crucial step towards widespread deployment of our life-saving technology all around the world,” said 

Robert Strassburger, President & CEO of the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety

. “As the technology progresses, we look forward to working with SAE International on developing additional standards for future versions of the alcohol detection systems that continue to evolve every day.”

SAE International is a global association of engineers and technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. Their voluntary consensus standards play a key role in the development of future automotive innovations, from autonomous cars to electric vehicles.

The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) Program is a public-private partnership between the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS), which represents the world’s leading automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Program is researching a first-of-its-kind technology called the alcohol detection system that will detect blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) in drivers and, if above the legal limit, prevent a vehicle from moving.

For more information about SAE International standards, visit 

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News & Updates

New Alcohol Detection Technology From DADSS Coming to Commercial Vehicles This Year

Experts Share Insights into the Role of Fleets in Driven to Protect

Alcohol Detection Technology Key to Tackling Impaired Driving, Meeting Goals of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)’s Most Wanted List of Transportation of Safety Improvements

The Road Ahead in 2021

DADSS Program Welcomes SAE International Standard for Alcohol Detection Systems in Vehicles