A Nissan employee tries to park a car using a monitor showing a bird’s-eye view of the car’s position

Oppama (Japan), Aug. 6 (Reuters): A new concept car with breathalyser-like detection systems may provide even greater traction for Japanese efforts to keep impaired drivers off the road. Nissan’s alcohol-detection sensors check odour, sweat and driver awareness, issuing a voice alert from the navigation system and locking up the ignition if necessary.

An employee shows how a Nissan car maintains a safe distance from another vehicle using radar sensors. (AFP)

Odour sensors on the driver and passenger seats read alcohol levels, while a detector in the gear-shift knob measures the perspiration of the driver's palm when starting the car.

A driver gets his sobriety checked inside the car by measuring the alcohol levels in his sweat

Nissan’s car includes a mounted camera that monitors alertness by eye scan, ringing bells and issuing a voice message in Japanese or English if a driver should pull over and rest. The car technology is still in development, but general manager Kazuhiro Doi says the combination of detection systems will ultimately keep an eye on who is behind the wheel. “We’ve placed odour detectors and a sweat sensor on the gear shift, but for example if the gear-shift sensor was bypassed by a passenger using it instead of the driver, the facial recognition system would be used,” said Doi. Also keeping a short leash on drivers, car seat belts tighten if drowsiness is detected, while an on-road monitor checks if a car is keeping its lane properly.