YOU CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT THE COMBINATION

GENERAL MOTOR'S PHYSIOLOGICAL TESTER IS AIMED AT KEEPING PEOPLE FROM DRIVING AUTOMOBILES WHEN THEIR CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL OR DRUGS OR THEIR EXPOSURE TO TOXIC GASES OR TENSION IMPAIRS THEIR DRIVING ABILITY. IN A CAR EQUIPPED WITH THIS DEVICE WHEN THE MOTORIST TURNS THE IGNITION KEY, A RANDOM NUMBER WITH AS MANY AS FIVE DIGITS IS DISPLAYED ON A MINIATURE SCOREBOARD. THE NUMBERS THEN TURN OFF, AND A KEYBOARD JUST BELOW BECOMES ILLUMINATED. THE DRIVER HAS A GIVEN NUMBER OF SECONDS TO PUSH KEYS IN THE SAME SEQUENCE AS THE NUMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN ON DISPLAY. THE AVERAGE NORMAL INDIVIDUAL WILL BE ABLE TO DO THIS, AND THE CAR WILL START. IF THE MOTORIST FAILS THE TEST, HE GETS TWO MORE CHANCES WITH DIFFERENT NUMBERS FOR EACH TRY. AFTER A THIRD FAILURE THE CAR CAN NOT BE STARTED FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. THE TEST TAKES JUST A FEW SECONDS TO PERFORM BUT ACCURATELY TESTS FOR HUMAN FACULTIES THAT ARE DEGRADED EARLY BY EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF ALCOHOL; JUDGEMENT, VISUAL ACUITY, SHORT-TERM MEMORY, AND COORDINATED MOTOR RESPONSE. THREE MONTHS OF EVALUATION STUDIES OF THIS DEVICE ARE UNDER WAY AT THE MARQUETTE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE USING EIGHT MARQUETTE STUDENTS.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 41, No 13, PP 22-24, 1 PHOT
• Publication Date: 1970-6-22

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Product Engineering
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill, Incorporated

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohols; Drivers; Drugs; Ignition; Judgment (Human characteristics); Memory; Motor vehicles; Physiological aspects; Reaction time; Testing equipment; Visual perception
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver reaction
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223292
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 26 1970 12:00AM