It's a bracelet that certain drunken driving offenders would wear that detects alcohol in the system. Lawmakers are just steps away from making it a law.

In North Carolina, one of every four drunken drivers has been convicted before.

"They still account, drunk driving deaths, for half of all motor vehicle fatalities in the state perhaps as many as 10,000 serious injuries in this state every year," Durham County District Court Judge Craig Brown said.

The bracelet aims to help stop drunken driving. When you drink alcohol, you sweat one percent of it through your skin. The bracelet automatically tests the sweat every hour and sends the information to authorities.

DWI prevention

A bracelet that detects alcohol could be used to prevent certain drunken driving offenders from driving under the influence. Lawmakers are just steps away from making it a law.

Judges hope to use the bracelet as a term to give a DWI offender their license back and as a way to make sure offenders are not violating their probation.

"At the present time the court can basically roll your eyes if you will or take their word for it or something in between, we simply don't know," Judge Brown added. "This technology for the first time will allow the court system to check the alcohol intake of an offender."

Eventually judges could use it in domestic violence or abuse cases as well to ensure an offender is obeying probation rules.

The bracelet has a $75 start-up charge as well as a $12 a day fee that is paid by the defendants. If the law passes it essentially gives judges across the state the authority to require it for offenders.

More than 33,000 offenders nationwide have worn a bracelet in 41 states. Several courts in North Carolina have experimented with it as well.