I saw an interesting article earlier about new hand held devices in cars that can detect intoxication by measuring the amount of alcohol on a person's breath. If it is over the intoxication level, then the car will not start. And, even having someone else (sober) try and start the car, the car will not be fooled by the device because it takes sample breath tests at random intervals. A fact that stunned me was that these devices could save up to 750 lives a year if everyone had one installed in their car. This is compared to the 13,000 deaths caused a year by intoxicated drivers, but still, it's a start. I think especially as a new driver on the road, this idea is very intriguing, because while I know I have control over my actions, I don't have control over any of the other drivers on the road. Especially not other young adults who have not yet learned how to be good decision makers. Clearly this is an example of the advancement of technology benefits humans. However, this got me thinking about the improvements of technology over time. Eventually, we will be able to control so much and on a larger scale (not relating to drunk driving), if technology prevents people from doing something and then perhaps making a mistake, how will people be able to learn from their life-mistakes and develop healthily? Will the continued increase of technology impact our lives so much eventually that it does not have a positive impact? At what point is technology too much? Or maybe, is it a good thing that technology is preventing people from ever making mistakes, because it is safer for everyone involved. But what about learning?
All in all though, I do think that this is a really great idea and should be mandatory for all drivers, especially for teenagers and those who violate the law and have obtained DUI's.
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I think you pose an interesting question by asking when enough is enough. Of course is a good thing that technology is advancing, and I think it is inevitable that it will continue to evolve with humans.But I do think it's important to look at not only how new technology benefits us, but also how it has the potential to harm us. I think that with the advancement of technology, independence is compromised. This forces people to not make as many decisions on their own and begin to rely on other people and objects (like this breathalizer) to make decisions for them. I do think that this is a good invention, and it would be a great thing if drunk driving could be stopped. However,I think that making mistakes is essencial to the learning process. How can you know what is right if you do not know what is wrong? If a machine makes decisions for you (not in the case of drunk driving) will you still be able to make your own mistakes? With every new technological advancement comes something that will hinder independence, and I think it will be up to future generations to decide where to draw the line.
ReplyDeleteI think having a fully mechanized prevention system for drunk driving is too much for 100% of drivers. Perhaps it could be limited to people who have DUI's, new drivers, and people with a history of alcoholism. But I think boosting education about how big a mistake drunk driving is and the consequences will also do some good.
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