The advances Pennsylvania residents have experienced in technology over the past few decades have been nothing short of amazing. It is difficult to imagine a world without the technology many now take for granted, including the internet, smartphones, GPS, drones and other devices.
These new inventions have the potential to not only improve a person’s work and personal life, but to enhance safety for society as a whole. For instance, a new wearable device that helps a person know whether they have had too much to drink is currently being tested. The biosensor patch is like a temporary tattoo, with several wireless components embedded in the device. The device can stimulate perspiration on the skin, and then sense changes in electrical current flowing through that sweat. In doing so, a person’s alcohol levels can be measured and sent to their smartphone.
It is easy to see how such a device could be a useful tool. The person’s phone could alert the person that he or she is not able to safely drive. This would be a major help if it stopped a drunk driver from entering the road, as about 9,900 people die each year in the United States due to a drunk driving accident.
Unless and until this kind of technology becomes mainstream and effective at preventing people from drunk driving, there will continue to be tragic and senseless deaths. Whether because individuals do not understand they cannot safely operate a vehicle after having a few drinks, or because those individuals simply disregard others’ safety knowing the risks, there are a stunning number of drunk driving crashes each year involving Pennsylvania residents. When there has been an accident caused by a drunk driver, those injured should understand their rights to hold the drunk driver accountable through a personal injury action.
Source: CBS News, “Could a biosensor “tattoo” help stop drunk driving?,” Brian Mastroianni, Oct. 19, 2016