AUBURN HILLS, MI – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has awarded $2.25 million to a Takata-TruTouch Technologies partnership to develop an in-vehicle solution to help prevent drunken driving. 

The award was made through the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) and Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS) programs.

"We are already enjoying tremendous success with this technology in the law enforcement, oil and drilling, military, and transportation markets," said Dr. Richard D. Gill, president and CEO of TruTouch. "Together with Takata, our mission is to help eliminate alcohol-impaired dangers on the road and save lives."

"As a company solely dedicated to automotive safety, we are excited with the contract from DADSS/ACTS to develop the TruTouch sensors for use in automotive, commercial vehicle and heavy equipment applications," added Kirk Morris, vice president of business development at TK Holdings Inc., the North American subsidiary of Takata Corp. "The objective is to develop tools to help keep intoxicated drivers from operating the vehicle if they are impaired, and to do so in a personal, non-intrusive manner."

The TruTouch technology uses intoxication detection technology that measures a person's alcohol level through the use of infrared light. With TruTouch, a person's blood alcohol concentration is determined when placing his or her finger on a near infrared sensor. The device can produce accurate results in seconds and has a built-in biometric system to prevent tampering, the company said. 

TruTouch Technologies develops, manufactures and sells patented noninvasive biometric alcohol testing systems. Takata Corp. is a global leader in passive and active safety systems.