Apr 22, 2015 12:29 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Eight students at the Institute of Technology of Cintalapa, Chiapas have developed an automotive safety system in an effort to decrease road accidents.

The project, AlcoStop, detects the alcohol blood level of a person and prevents them from driving. The idea for this system emerged from the high incidence of road accidents in Mexico where alcohol is involved. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics (INEGI), there are 77 thousand mishaps of this type per year, equivalent to four cases per hour.

The system works through a series of sensors placed on the steering wheel, the shift lever and seat, which detect through sweat if the person is intoxicated, if the result is positive the motor is disabled, which prevents the individual to drive. It also has a GPS tracking unit that allows monitoring in real time.

The students also designed a mobile application that sends a signal to family or friends with the location of the vehicle, "as the car is disabled, someone can go and pick up the driver" Karla Isabel Sánchez García, CEO at AlcoStop, said in a statement.

She adds that the system is easy to use, economical and anyone can install it, "the idea is that the person buys it and installs it by themselves, is pretty much like a car alarm focused on detecting alcohol."

They claim the system is also practical in comparison to other products, in which a breathalyzer test is needed every time the driver gets in the car. AlcoStop detects the person behind the wheel, if the system does not indicate levels of alcohol, the car will start, but if the driver is under the influence of alcohol the vehicle will remain still.

The youngsters aim to consolidate the project as a company "we have had invitations from the Secretary of Transit from the Chiapas state government to implement our system, but the project is still under investigation," Garcia said.

"We try to refine sensors, so that they are equally efficient for people who do not perspire much, and thus provide a strong result," she adds.

Students set the end of 2015 as their goal to finish the project and make way for the company, which in it beginnings will be supported by the program for young entrepreneurs, driven by the Government of Chiapas.

The project was the winner in the fourth National Technological Innovation Contest 2014 in its Regional presentation. 

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