The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that as part of the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, Congress has authorized automakers to develop new technologies to prevent drunk driving accidents.
After the Ministry of Transportation decides which technology is most suitable for use, monitoring systems will be installed in new cars starting in 2026. The bill will allow US$17 billion to be allocated for road safety programs.
Congress put forward a new requirement for automakers: find a high-tech way to prevent drunk people from driving.https://t.co/2hgai1CDhK
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) November 9, 2021
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 20,160 people died in car accidents in the first half of 2021, the highest number since 2006. NHTSA also found that 10,000 people die from alcohol-related car accidents each year, accounting for 30% of all traffic deaths.
Convicted drunk drivers must install a breath tester connected to an ignition device in their car. If the driver is drunk, they will be forced to blow into the tube and disable the car. The new legislation stipulates that the car must “passively monitor the driver’s performance” to determine whether the driver is obstructed.
Infrared cameras that monitor driver behavior may prove to be the best way to prevent drunk driving. The camera will monitor the driver, and if signs of drunkenness are found, the car’s hazard lights will turn on and stop on the side of the road. General Motors, BMW and Nissan are already developing this technology.
Another promising technology is called Safe driving alcohol detection systemSince 2008, it has been developed by 17 automakers and NHTSA. It uses an embedded sensor to determine the driver’s blood alcohol content through a breath analyzer, which uses an infrared beam to calculate the driver’s BAC, as well as a touch-based ignition system and shifting. However, the launch may still take several years.
Alex Otter, chairperson of the Mothers Organization Against Drunk Driving, stated that the new regulations in Congress would “almost eliminate the number one killer on American roads” and described it as “the beginning of the end of drunk driving.”
