Nissan develops anti-drunk driving cars

Nissan Motor is developing cars that will not start if the driver is intoxicated as Japan steps up action against drunk driving.

Nissan said it is considering installing a straw-like tube on the driver's seat, which the driver would have to blow into to start the car. The engine would not start if the machine shows the driver is intoxicated.

Nissan is also studying a device that requires drivers to enter personal identification numbers of many digits, which may be a difficult task if they are drunk, Nissan spokeswoman Ikue Matsuura said.

"No specifics have been decided yet but we are considering developing models that would prevent car accidents, including drunk driving," she said.

The move comes amid a growing movement in Japan against drunk driving after an intoxicated driver killed three children in the southwestern city of Fukuoka.

Following the incident, 21 local governments out of the nation's 47 prefectures and 15 major cities are considering tougher penalties on drunk driving, said a survey by the Sankei Shimbun newspaper published Wednesday.

Fukuoka Mayor Hirotaro Yamazaki has said the city is considering heavier punishments for its employees if they drive after drinking, even if they are not arrested.
The government of Kanagawa prefecture, bordering Tokyo, has already decided to dismiss employees who drink and drive or who ride in cars knowing the driver is drunk.