BRUSSELS, February 11 (RIA Novosti) - Belgium may soon pass a law to force persistent drunk-drivers to install a dashboard device that will stop them from starting their cars when under the influence of alcohol, national media said on Monday.

The device, called an alcolock, requires the driver to blow into a tube before starting the car. The engine will refuse to start if it detects a higher-than- permitted concentration of alcohol.

If the bill, currently being drafted by Belgian Transport Minister Yves Leterme, becomes law, frequently-convicted drunk-drivers will be obliged to pay 1,000 euros ($1,400) to fit the gadget into their vehicles.

The alcolock has been already tested in the U.S., Sweden, and Canada, the Le Vif / L'Express magazine said.

Drunk-drivers cause some 10,000 deaths in road accidents across Europe every year.