Lawmakers are calling on the implementation of new technologies that would prevent drunk drivers from operating their vehicles. Congress has given the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration three years to find the right anti-drunk driving technology that could be mandated on all new vehicles by 2026.
The planned measure is a key provision in the trillion-dollar infrastructure package that is now in the process of being approved by U.S. President Joe Biden. Under the provision, transportation agencies must find a way to prevent drunken or impaired driving by mandating new safety tech in future vehicles.
The sort of technology that would be employed is still up in the air, with Congress refusing to endorse ignition lock devices like those that the courts frequently mandate for DUI offenders.
Under the mandate, the safety system must be able to "passively monitor" if a driver or a vehicle is impaired. If the system detects that the driver is unable to operate the vehicle properly, it must be able to "prevent or limit" their ability to operate the vehicle.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation's president and chief executive, John Bozzella, said in a statement this week that the industry organization appreciated that lawmakers had given them enough flexibility to consider multiple technological systems to prevent drunk driving.
In January, Scott Schmidt, the alliance's vice president for safety policy, wrote to the NTSA, saying it was vital that drunken-driving deterrent systems provide exact data regarding a driver's blood-alcohol content. Schmidt argued that alternative driving monitoring systems, such as those that rely on cameras, might result in false positives.
Drivers with a blood alcohol content of 0.15% or above were involved in 68% of fatal drunken-driving incidents in 2019. Around 0.08% is the current legal limit.
Groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving claim that the safety requirement could save thousands of lives. According to a 2020 report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, more than 9,000 people are killed in drunken-driving incidents in the United States each year.
The organization's president, Alex Otte, claimed that drunk driving in the U.S. is the "No. 1 killer on American roads." He said new technology is needed to combat drunk driving. He added that whether it is new technologies or improved versions of existing systems, the government needs to find a way to stop those who refuse to make the right choices when it comes to drunk driving.
