(The Yomiuri Shimbun via NewsEdge) A mobile phone attached to a breath analyzer developed by NTT DoCoMo is proving popular among bus and transport companies eager to keep their drivers from adding to a recent spate of drunken driving incidents.
In August, the Construction and Transport Ministry tightened administrative punishments for transport and other companies, and public awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol has grown.
The measures allowed punitive steps, including suspension of business, to be imposed on companies that allowed employees to drive while under the influence of alcohol or did not properly supervise their drivers to prevent such reckless driving habits.
The tougher line has jolted such firms into getting serious about preventing drivers from getting behind the wheel after drinking alcoholic beverages.
The new system, which uses DoCoMo's FOMA 3G phones equipped with a breath analyzer, is easy to use.
First, the driver makes a video-phone call to his or her company and breathes into the analyzer connected to the mobile phone.
The video image showing the driver blowing into the analyzer and data regarding the alcohol concentration on his or her breath are transmitted to the company and confirmed by computer there.
The Road Traffic Law stipulates that 0.15 milligram or more of alcohol per liter of breath constitutes drunken driving. If such a level is detected by the breath analyzer, a warning written in red is displayed on the screen.
© 2006 The Yomiuri Shimbun
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