Road tRaffic InterlockS

44 Dräger review 106 | 3 / 2012

Ph

oto

gr

aP

hy

: M

Iqu

el

go

nz

al

ez

Last Exit for drunk drivers Driving under the influence of alcohol is penalized worldwide. the Dutch have taken a new approach that incorporates methods of monitoRing and REhabiLitation. Drivers caught with a blood-alcohol concentration of over 0.13 % may remain on the road – under certain conditions.

W henever Patrick van Vugt climbs into his car, he first fastens his seat belt and then

reaches for the Dräger Interlock XT . Af-ter briskly blowing into the mouthpiece, he can turn the ignition key and then start the engine. For the Dräger man-ager, the exercise is a piece of a volun-tary self-regulation – as well as handy promotion for a potentially life-saving product. For over 1,000 Dutch drivers, on the other hand, the use of this de-vice – a breath-alcohol measuring in-strument with a vehicle immobilizer – is compulsory. That is because they have been caught driving while seriously un-der the influence of alcohol.

This scheme marks a new era in Dutch law enforcement. On December 1, 2011, at the end of four years of legal and technical groundwork, the Nether-lands launched a bold program, which is still unique in Europe, it is aimed at bringing about a lasting reduction in the number of alcohol-related road-acci-dent victims. The program comes on the heels of a pilot study, of 80 volunteers, which was conducted in 2008. After this study a decision was made by the Dutch cabinet to introduce vehicle immobiliz-

ers based on breath-alcohol concentra-tion. The intention is twofold: to prevent convicted drunk drivers from taking to the road while under the influence of al-cohol, and to help them achieve a last-ing change in their behavior.

“One in five road accidents is alcohol-related; that’s simply unacceptable,” says Desirée Schaap, project manager for the Alcohol Interlock Program at the Nether-lands Ministry of Transport. “After four years of hard work, we’re delighted that the program has gotten off to such a suc-cessful start.” Ramón Gouweleeuw, In-ternational Inspector Certification at the Netherlands Road Traffic Authority (RDW), provides the latest figures: “We fitted the 1,000th car with an interlock system only yesterday. That’s much more than we anticipated when the program was launched nine months ago.”

Up to 75 Percentfewer Relapses

Vehicle immobilizers connected to a breath-alcohol measuring device are already in use elsewhere in Europe, as well as in the U.S., Canada, and Austra-lia. Yet the Dutch model is different. It aims not only to prevent known drunk

drivers from being repeat offenders, but but also to educate them and turn them into more responsible members of the Community. They will ultimately be able to draw a line between drink-ing and driving, even without the help of an interlock. “The Institute of Safety Research compared various studies of the effectiveness of vehicle immobiliz-ers,” Schaap explains. “This showed that the completion of an Alcohol Inter-lock Program can reduce relapse rates by as much as 75 percent.” At the same time, however, studies from the U.S. re-veal that relapse rate rises once again after four to six years, unless the use of

EN_44-47_Interlock_NL.indd.idml.indd 44 15.11.12 17:30

InterlockS Road tRaffic

45Dräger review 106 | 3 / 2012

as important as the ignition: a breath

test with the inter- lock (right) determines

whether the engine will start

an immobilizer is accompanied by sup-portive measures.

On June 4, 2010, the Dutch passed a law mandating the introduction of the Alcohol Interlock Program (AIP). The program is tied to strict conditions of security and data confidentiality in order to protect the privacy of partici-pants. They are also required to attend professionally led group sessions. These sessions teach offenders how to sepa-rate drinking from driving. Unlike sim-ilar programs in other countries, in the Dutch AIP, the data from the devices is evaluated immediately, providing driv-ers with rapid feedback. “The educa-

tional effect is much stronger when drivers are made aware of their viola-tion, at the moment when it counts,” says Schaap.

Drivers who have been stopped with blood-alcohol concentrations of 0.13 to 0.18 % are required to follow a two-year-long, strictly monitored AIP. This comes after a fine and, in some cases, forfeiture of their driver’s license for a period of several months. Before they start the program, they must pay the 700 euros fine for driving under-the-in-fluence of alcohol, plus the fees for reg-ularly attending the group sessions, and the monthly leasing charge for the in-

terlock immobilizer. In addition, they must apply for a new driver’s license that identifies them as AIP participants. All in all, the costs quickly add up to thousands of euros.

driving Under Supervision

Offenders who refuse to participate in the AIP are automatically disqualified from driving for five years. Once the immobi-lizer has been installed in the vehicle, all further journeys are strictly controlled. Before the engine will start, the driver must provide a breath sample. At breath-alcohol levels in excess of 0.02 % the ig- >

EN_44-47_Interlock_NL.indd.idml.indd 45 15.11.12 17:31

46 Dräger review 106 | 3 / 2012

Road tRaffic InterlockS

Ph

oto

gr

aP

hy

: M

Iqu

el

go

nz

al

ez

nition ceases to function. The results of each test are stored in a unit mounted be-neath the dashboard. Every six or seven weeks, the data from the device is down-loaded at a installation and service cen-ter and sent straight to the RDW. Within a week or so, drivers are informed as to whether their behavior complies with the requirements of the program, or whether they are to be subjected to a regime of more frequent testing.

Strict Requirements for data Security

That all sounds very straightforward. However, as van Vugt reveals, the prac-tical implementation was by no means easy. The crucial issue was the strict Dutch legislation on data protection. In addition to meeting the internation-ally standard requirements of the Euro-pean standards for alcohol interlocks, the devices and their usage also had to satisfy a set of rigorous domestic re-quirements. This is known as a protec-tion profile developed by the RDW. This protection profile is designed to ensure that all data storage and transfer is ab-solutely secure and that the devices are protected against manipulation.

“Based on the data, we’re making some far-reaching decisions about the participants – in some cases, whether they must forfeit their driver’s license or remain in the program,” Gouweleeuw explains. “We therefore need to be sure that the data is 100 percent reliable.” For this reason, the Dutch have set up a central data register, administered by the RDW, rather than delegating the re-

sponsibility for data recovery to the man-ufacturer of the device. The Privacy Act in the Netherlands closely guards personal data, restricting access exclusively to those with legitimate legal authorization.

In order to gain the necessary certifi-cation and approval of the RDW, Dräger had to substantially modify the software used in its interlock system. After be-ing downloaded, the data is first trans-ferred, in encrypted form, to a com-puter at Dräger known as the D-Safe. Here it is converted into the format re-quired by the RDW. The data is then re-encrypted, deleted from the D-Safe, and sent to the RDW mainframe, which can also be accessed by the Dutch driver’s li-cense authority CBR. After a few bumps in the road the system is now running perfectly. “At the beginning we had a

couple of problems due to the sheer volume of data the system had to deal with,” recalls van Vugt. “Some custom-ers were irritated by how long the com-puters took to communicate with each other. But after a few adjustments we were able to quickly fix that.“

Naturally not every AIP driver is thrilled about being under long term RDW supervision for two years. Human nature being what it is, some people will to try to beat the system. Therefore, much care was invested in designing the device in such a way, to make it tam-per proof. The Interlock XT cannot be opened, and all the wires are soldered in such a way that makes any manipu-lation immediately evident. For exam-ple, to prevent drivers from blowing into the mouthpiece with a balloon or a bicy-

“We fitted 1,000 interlocks in nine months – that’s much more than we anticipated!”Ramón Gouweleeuw, international inspector certification at the Netherlands Road traffic authority (RdW)

“We’re delighted that the program has gotten off to such a successful start”desirée Schaap, Project Manager at the Netherlands Ministry of transport

>

EN_44-47_Interlock_NL.indd.idml.indd 46 15.11.12 17:31

47Dräger review 106 | 3 / 2012

The Dräger Interlock XT Capitalizing on more than 50 years of experience in the development of measuring breath-alcohol concentration, the Dräger Interlock XT is the company’s second generation of interlock devices. The Interlock XT employs the same electro-chemical sensor that is fitted in police breathalyzers. This provides a very precise reading of the alcohol content, in a breath sample. The complete system is mechanically robust and displays outstanding reliability even at low temperatures and high humidity. At the same time it meets all the requirements for alcohol interlocks world- wide. Its use helps to reduce the incidence of alcohol-related road accidents and helps bring about a change in drivers’ behavior.

cle pump, they must use a specific tech-nique: a powerful exhalation, followed by a short inhalation.

Preventing Manipulation

“Obviously we can’t rule out manipu-lation altogether,” says Gouweleeuw. “We’re assuming a certain sense of re-sponsibility – that driver’s don’t, for ex-ample, get somebody else to blow into the device.” The Privacy Act forbids the use of direct camera surveillance, but participants are retested on a random basis. Therefore, they can never be sure when they might have to provide an-other breath sample. If their breath-al-cohol concentration is elevated, drivers must abandon their vehicle. The conse-quences are serious, in the case of too many failed retests: participants must leave the program and forfeit their li-cense for five years.

Vincent Broeksema runs one of the 50 facilities that are authorized to install and service alcohol interlock systems in the Netherlands. He has first-hand experi-ence of what happens to program partic-ipants:: “We’ve seen no evidence of tam-pering so far. The participants are just relieved that they’re still allowed to drive. They’re not going to jeopardize that in a hurry.” To date his installation and ser-vice center has installed 100 interlocks. “Right now we’re fitting two or three a week,” he adds. Regina Naumann

The interlock system delivers data that can be crucial to people’s lives. Regular maintenance and inspection of all the functions is therefore vital. The picture shows the technician, Dennis Weber, in an authorized facility in Nootdorp, Netherlands

Left: Calibration with a test gas ensures reliable measurement of breath-alcohol concentration. The device is recalibrated whenever data from the Alcohol Interlock Program is downloaded in the facility. Right: Gerrit Grefelman (left), from Dräger, consults with facility owner, Vincent Broeksema, on his ex - periences with installation and maintenance of the Dräger Interlock System

Information: Alcohol: The social drug – often a taboo subjectwww.draeger.com/106/alcohol

EN_44-47_Interlock_NL.indd.idml.indd 47 15.11.12 17:31