Since the introduction of the breathalyser, alcohol impairment has been measured using a fixed chemical concentration threshold as a proxy for impairment. Part 2 of our Technical Paper Series on Intoxication explains why chemical presence does not reliably indicate impairment, and how this is even more prevalent when assessing cannabis impairment.

Unlike chemical thresholds that measure intoxication, Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) evaluate a driver’s real-time operational capacity relative to driving demands, addressing safety more directly.

Part 1 of our Technical Paper Series examined the limitations of using Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) as a benchmark for impairment. Our latest research expands on this, by exploring how Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) offer a real-time approach to assess driver impairment by focusing on functional capability rather than chemical concentration thresholds.

The paper addresses the distinction between intoxication and impairment, differences in measuring alcohol and cannabis, and the advantages of a cause-agnostic impairment detection solution to reduce crash risk

Part 2 of our series “DMS does not need to identify cause of impairment to be effective” is now available, with a final instalment to come.

Download Part 2 of the Technical Paper Series here