Mothers Against Drunk Driving may soon have the power of DADSS on their side.

DADSS stands for Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety. It’s a new technology that’s being developed to prevent alcohol-impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel. The system would not allow a driver to operate the vehicle if his or her blood alcohol level is at or above the legal limit of .08. Both breath-based and touch-based measuring methods are being tested. (Read the US DOT's press release on DADSS here.)

DADSS is being developed under a five-year, $10 million cooperative initiative between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, an industry group that represents most of the world’s auto makers.

In 2009, 10,839 people died nationwide in crashes involving a drunk driver. These deaths made up 32 percent of all fatal crashes that year.