ANSONIA – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10,000 people in the United States are killed each year due to drunk driving accidents.  An Ansonia mother has come-up with an innovative solution.

When Lakesha Stines was just 9 years old, she lost the woman she called her second mother to a tragic accident.  “She was basically walking and a drunk driver just hit her.  She was 9 months pregnant,” says Stines.  “I was more than devastated…..it stuck with me my whole entire life – it really stuck with me.”

So, 4 years ago she had a dream – a dream that inspired an inventive solution for the worries that drivers face on the road.  It’s called Sober Touch Sensoring – used in the steering wheel of a car.  “When you get in your car and you touch those sensors after drinking, it’s going to calculate your blood alcohol level through the perspiration in the palms of your hands,” she explains.  The car won’t start if the driver’s blood alcohol level is above the legal limit.

Stines’ idea is garnering attention.  In February, the was honored by both Ansonia’s Mayor David Cassetti and Senator Richard Blumenthal.  She credits her success with teaming-up with the right engineer and design studio.  “People have been taking me to the next level – taking me to where I need to be because they believe in what I’m doing,” says Stines.

This mother and grandmother aims to “right wrongs” with her innovation.  She knows Sebrina, her dear friend, would be proud:  “I know she’s so excited in spirit about what I’m doing and I know she’s smiling, I know she’s like, ‘Go get ‘em.'”

Stines hopes to see her idea put into practice – installed in actual cars – by the end of 2019.

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