Innovative Night Rider Device Could Revolutionize Sobriety Testing on Busy Roads

Pete Zahrt, a federal law enforcement officer with the National Park Service, was performing a routine roadside sobriety test on the busy Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. Cars sped by at over 60 mph, and he thought, There has to be a safer way to do this.

The test Zahrt was administering is called the horizontal gaze nystagmus HGN test, part of the standard sobriety check. It involves looking for nystagmus, a jerking motion in the eyes that becomes more noticeable when someone is drunk. To do this, an officer moves an object back and forth in front of a suspect’s face and observes their eye movements.

While the test is generally accurate and often accepted in court, it has drawbacks. It demands the officer’s full attention, which can be risky on a busy road, and there’s always the chance of human error or bias.

Wanting a better solution, Zahrt came up with the idea for a device to perform the test automatically. He envisioned something similar to the peripheral vision machines used at eye doctors but designed for law enforcement.

The result is a prototype device called the Nygt Rydr pronounced night rider. It’s portable and features a screen on a slim stand. Using LED lights and a camera, the device performs the HGN test and delivers scientifically accurate results almost 100% of the time.

Zahrt, who lives near Notre Dame in rural Winamac, Indiana, is now building a business around his invention. He’s working with the IDEA Center, a program that helps turn ideas into successful ventures. His new company is called Tippecanoe Technologies.

Zahrt says the IDEA Center has been a game-changer. It’s like adding fuel to a flame, he shared. They’ve helped accelerate everything overnight.

 

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