How it works

Alcohol interlocks, the sensors and how they work

Three common forms of alcohol sensing are used whithin the law enforcement and transportation industries: electro-chemical sensing, semiconductor sensing and infrared spectorscopy.

Professional transporters regard alcohol interlocks as a means of ensuring transport quality, and they impose high demands on alcohol interlock equipment.

Volvo Trucks chose electro-chemical sensing (fuel-cell) because it is medium-cost, alcohol specific, and very accurate. The semicondutor sensor has the disqualifying drawback of giving false positive readings from hydrocarbons (fuel and exhaust), which would undermine credibility.

Infrared spectroscopy, though extremely accurate, would be very expensive and overly complicated for use with alcohol interlocks.