Automotive alcohol interlocks, which prevent the engine from starting when the driver is intoxicated, will be improved. FSUE NAMI has initiated changes to GOST so that the devices can transmit data to the "Era-Glonass" system. These changes will help establish clear threshold values for alcohol in exhaled air, based on which the devices will operate.
The current standard requires alcohol interlocks to identify the driver through biometrics and transmit information to a centralized information system. According to Sergey Anikeev, Director of Technical Regulation at FSUE NAMI, the draft amendments take into account the legislative requirements for mandatory provision of information only to the state information system.
In addition, the new standards will cover methods for testing alcohol interlocks and functional testing. It is noteworthy that the introduction of alcohol interlocks has been discussed for many years. In the past, they were installed on school buses, but there was no widespread use. In 2021, a pilot project was conducted in Moscow to install devices on company cars.
Sergey Anikeev believes that the installation of alcohol interlocks can be recommended to taxi fleets and companies that provide cars for rent.
However, there are already mechanisms in place in the industry to monitor the condition of drivers. Anton Danilov-Danilyan from the RSPP committee expressed the opinion that any passenger complaint about incorrect behavior or suspicion of intoxication is considered immediately, which makes additional technical solutions redundant.