 A driver uses an 'alcolock' to test whether he is safe to drive |
A new system which stops cars starting if the driver is drunk should be introduced UK-wide as soon as possible if research shows it works, say MPs. "Alcolocks" are fitted to the ignition and require the driver to blow into a tube. If a certain blood-alcohol level is detected, the car will not start.
The Commons transport committee says the UK should not miss an opportunity to help cut drink-drive reoffending.
It is also calling for more government investment on green carbon-free fuels.
Tests
In a report on the cars of the future, the MPs say the government is investing "trivial" amounts of money in developing such fuels.
And they call for higher vehicle excise duty on "gas guzzling" cars.
It is hard to see most people ever wanting to give up the unparalleled convenience offered by having their own car, says the committee.
But new forms of engine and fuel technology, crash protection and help for drivers could help minimise the damage caused by cars, its report says.
The UK has held some trials of how alcohol ignition locks could help stem reoffending and the idea is being studied by the Department for Transport.
The MPs say the "alcolocks" should be introduced at the "earliest opportunity" if they are found to cut reoffending.
Committee chairman Gwyneth Dunwoody said: "The UK must not miss the opportunity to have cars on our roads within the next decade that prevent someone driving if they are drunk, uninsured or untaxed."
The Labour MP said the technological potential for cars of the future was "stunning".
"The government must ensure that incentives encourage manufacturers to introduce cleaner technologies and safety systems in cars, which consumers are then encouraged to buy," she said.
But such moves need not be prescriptive, she added.
Self-drive cars?
The report says there could be benefits from cars which identify the driver, but there are also privacy issues to be worked out.
It also points to new systems which increasingly let cars drive themselves, such as adaptive cruise control, where the car slows automatically if it detects other vehicles ahead.
The MPs say there are still questions about how such developments could affect whether drivers are completely liable for what happens in their cars.
The government cannot afford to take a laissez faire approach, they warn, and it must make sure the law keeps up with technical innovations.
Motor traders should also have a legal duty to tell car buyers how to work advanced systems, they argue.
Getting greener
The committee also sees a key role for technology making transport greener - road transport is currently blamed for 22% of Britain's carbon dioxide emissions.
It says the Department of Transport is way off track in its contribution to ensuring the government meets its targets of getting CO2 emissions 20% below 1990 levels by 2010.
Ministers are investing "trivial" amounts on developing low carbon vehicles, say the MPs, even though the area could be a major commercial opening for the UK.
They want more work on developing cars powered by hydrogen produced from renewable sources of energy - offering the "dream ticket" of a zero emission vehicle.
But in the meantime, there also needed to be more grants to help people buy the cleanest cars and higher taxes for the worst polluters.
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The UK must not miss the opportunity to have cars that prevent someone driving if they are drunk, uninsured or untaxed 
