Why the SafeKey System makes sense for you

Impaired drivers are, as is well-known, quite dangerous to themselves and others.  Further, impaired drivers generally find it difficult to stop using. This, of course, is the sad nature of addiction. The Safekey company has developed a tool to help clients become more aware of their consumption and to most likely prevent an impaired driving arrest.  The SafeKey is a unique ignition key immobilizer that prevents a vehicle engine from starting if the driver is unfit to drive safely. It does not require you to blow into a tube but requires an impairment test of following random light flashes.

The SafefKey System is categorized as a prevention device – it deters persons who are impaired from driving in the first place – until they are suitably unimpaired.  In a real sense it is not only an "early warning system" that just costs a few hundred bucks, but it's also a true interlock device that deters a DWI before arrest and/or crash.

The anti-impairment function of the SafeKey is based upon the universal fact that one’s rate of reaction to stimuli drops as impairment increases.  The increasing delayed reactions occur regardless of the reason for impairment: alcohol, drugs, sleep deprivation or advanced age.  Thus, the SafeKey merely assesses a person’s stimulus-response time.  If the delay becomes enough to cause danger, the vehicle cannot be started.  On the other hand, if the extra delay is minimal, the car can be started.

The SafeKey system consists of two solid-state sub-components: the Check Module (usually attached to the key-chain) and an Immobilizer that is installed in the vehicle.  When a correct microwave command is transmitted from the Check Module which administers an easy and rapid 2½ second test, the car can start.  Again, if undue impairment is measured by the Check Module, the user must wait an hour before trying again (actually, three opportunities are offered in a row to make up for ‘honest fumbles’).   Further, if a potential car thief attempts to steal a vehicle equipped with a SafeKey system, the thief cannot start the car without the Check Module and even if they had the module they would have no idea how to complete the test. This makes your car more anti-thief.

Check out the website www.safekeycorporation.com to learn more about this device. It is perfect for those social drinkers who want to make sure that they will not accidentally drink a little too much one night.

Minnesotans for Safe Driving are not endorsing this device, but see it as a tool to prevent impaired driving.

ARE DRUNK DRIVERS GETTING A BARGAIN

MSD saw this article in the Northfield News (Minnesota).  We thought it was such an excellent article that we wanted to share it with others. Permission was given by the author.

JACI SMITH, Regional Editor
Posted: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 10:47 pm

In September 2004, Peter James Rappe, then 24, was driving down the 100 block of Woodley Street when he was pulled over by a Northfield police officer who had reason to believe Rappe was driving drunk. Tests on the scene and a Breathalyzer result confirmed the officer’s suspicions — Rappe blew over the legal limit of .08 percent blood alcohol content.

The officer gave Rappe a notice of revocation, which instantly removed his driving privileges, and issued an incident report that would later go to the city prosecutor as a recommendation Rappe be formally charged with DWI — driving while intoxicated. The city prosecutor offered Rappe a deal: probation for a year, random testing, and the license revocation in exchange for a careless driving conviction. Rappe agreed. That’s how he became part of a little known statistic in Rice County’s battle against drunk driving.

the story continues >