New technology may end drunk driving

Washington

FEDERAL officials have announced a technological breakthrough that could virtually eliminate the drunken driving that kills 10,000 Americans each year.

The new equipment - which is expected to begin appearing in cars in five years - will not require a driver to blow into a tube, as with the interlock devices that some states require after drunken-driving convictions. Instead, either a passive set of breath sensors or touch-sensitive contact points on a starter button or gear shift would immediately register the level of alcohol in the driver's bloodstream.