Automatic breathalyser for trucks and work vehicles is born

An automatic breathalyser capable of constantly monitoring the presence of alcohol in the passenger compartment of vehicles, with a zero tolerance, and of blocking the vehicle's ignition if the driver has been drinking. The result of seven years of studies, the instrument, christened Drive 1, has just been put on the market and presented in Genoa by the La Spezia-based start-up Safety Driving Solutions. And some customers have already arrived, including a company offering school bus services and Triacca, a La Spezia company specialising in the road transport of exceptional loads and industrial lifting. In addition, an experiment is underway on quayside vehicles in the port of Trieste.

'We started working on this project in 2018,' explains Riccardo Failla, sole director of Sds, 'thinking above all about the application of the product in the world of transport and logistics. The start was not easy because we immediately came up against the pandemic period of Covid and the crisis in electronic components, but we took advantage of these difficult years to better develop the product and its engineering aspects."

The device, he clarifies, 'is fully automatic and requires no direct interaction with the driver, who does not have to blow anywhere'. A device, mounted inside the driver's cab, like a telepass, detects alcohol fumes. "In case of a positive result, the system inhibits the ignition of the vehicle and sends an alert to the vehicle manager, helping to prevent accidents and ensure a safe driving environment. If, on the other hand, the vehicle is already running, a red LED warns the driver that an alcohol level has been detected while, at the same time, the instrument sends an alert to the company'.

Drive 1, says Failla, is today the only product that offers both a prevention and monitoring function during the entire journey of the vehicle on which it is installed, guaranteeing the safety of the company owning the vehicle and the driver,' adds Failla. 'It should also be emphasised that the device was designed as a prevention tool to protect both the driver and the vehicle. Moreover, Sds does not manage the sensitive data of drivers but a database linked to vehicle number plates, which is shared with employers'. The company, therefore, although managing the reporting service, will not know the name of the drivers who triggered the alcohol alarm.

The device, adds Massimo Terenzani, sales manager of Sds, 'is a tool certified by Industry 4.0 (which allows tax credits of up to 20 per cent of the cost of the equipment), CE and Automotive. In addition to the alcohol monitoring system, Drive 1 is equipped with GPS and advanced management software that, with the Mydrive 1 platform, allow vehicle owners to receive real-time alerts on possible alcohol detections, monitor the status of vehicles, detect any tampering, and verify their location at all times. In addition, the system is installed in half an hour, at a cost of less than one thousand euros, and does not interfere with the trucks' control unit: the mechanical engine stop is implemented with a simple relay, which blocks the ignition".