By HOPE YEN and TOM KRISHER, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A key element of the recently passed $1-trillion infrastructure package is a new congressional mandate for automakers: implement advanced technology to keep drunk drivers off the road.
This requirement is just one aspect of the increased spending directed toward improving auto safety. The new law is designed to make roadways safer across the United States.
The legislation calls for the rollout of monitoring systems designed to prevent intoxicated drivers in all new vehicles by 2026 at the latest. This will occur after the Transportation Department determines the best technology to install in millions of vehicles, and automakers are given time to comply.
According to the Eno Center for Transportation, approximately $17 billion is allocated for road safety programs. This represents the most significant increase in funding for such initiatives in decades.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that this could bring about more protected bike paths and green spaces integrated into well-traveled roadways. Alex Otte, national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, described the package as a “monumental” step, calling it the “single most important legislation” in the group’s history. She emphasized that it marks “the beginning of the end of drunk driving.” Otte further stated, “It will virtually eliminate the No. 1 killer on America’s roads.”
Each year, alcohol-related crashes claim approximately 10,000 lives in the U.S. This accounts for almost 30% of all traffic fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Currently, some convicted drunk drivers are required to use ignition interlock devices, which involve blowing into a tube and disabling the vehicle if the blood alcohol level is excessive. The new legislation doesn’t specify the exact technology required, stating only that it needs to “passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired.”
Sam Abuelsamid, a principal mobility analyst for Guidehouse Insights, suggests that infrared cameras monitoring driver behavior are the most probable system to prevent drunk driving. Automakers such as General Motors, BMW, and Nissan already use this technology to monitor driver attentiveness while utilizing partially automated driver-assist systems.
The cameras are designed to ensure the driver is watching the road, looking for signs of drowsiness, loss of consciousness, or impairment. Should such signs be detected, the car will alert the driver; if the behavior persists, the vehicle will activate its hazard lights, slow down, and pull over to the side of the road.
Abuelsamid noted that breathalyzers are not a practical solution because many people would object to being forced to use them every time they drive: “I don’t think it’s going to go over very well with a lot of people.”
The extensive bill also mandates that automakers install rear-seat reminders to alert parents if a child is inadvertently left in the back seat. This requirement could go into effect by 2025 after the NHTSA finalizes its rule-making on the issue.
Since 1990, approximately 1,000 children have died from vehicular heatstroke. Kidsandcars.org reports that the highest number of fatalities in a single year was 54, recorded in 2018.
In the meantime, Congress has directed the agency to update long-standing safety standards to prevent deaths caused by collapsing front seatbacks. Additionally, a rule requiring automatic emergency braking and lane departure warnings in all passenger vehicles will be issued, although no date was set for compliance.
Most automakers had already agreed to make automatic emergency braking standard equipment in the majority of their models by September of the following year. This was part of a voluntary plan announced during the last weeks of the Obama administration.
At a White House briefing to promote the legislation’s benefits, Buttigieg said he had traveled across the country in recent months and witnessed too many roadside memorials for those who died in preventable traffic incidents. He pointed to a new $5-billion “Safe Streets & Roads for All” program under his department that will, in part, promote safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians.
The federal program, which he acknowledged may take several months to establish, would support cities’ campaigns to end traffic fatalities with a “Vision Zero” effort. These efforts may involve building traffic roundabouts to slow vehicles, creating new bike paths, widening sidewalks, and even reducing the size of some roads to encourage commuters to use public transit or other transportation options.
The legislation stipulates that at least 15% of a state’s highway safety-improvement program funds be allocated to pedestrians, bicyclists, and other non-motorized road users if these groups account for 15% or more of the state’s crash fatalities.
Buttigieg stated, “The best way to allow people to move in ways that are better for congestion and better for climate is to give them alternatives.” Describing much of this as a longer-term effort, he added, “this is how we do right by the next generation.”
However, safety advocates are concerned that the bipartisan bill missed opportunities to vigorously address the emerging U.S. crisis of road fatalities. They have urged the Transportation Department to deliver immediate solutions.
They have called on the NHTSA to address a backlog of traffic safety regulations mandated by Congress nearly a decade ago, such as mandatory rear seat belt reminders. The department recently announced it would release a “safe system approach” to road safety in January that identifies safety actions for drivers, roads, vehicles, speeds, and post-crash medical care.
Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, stated, “Prompt action must be taken on comprehensive, common-sense and confirmed solutions to steer our nation toward zero crash fatalities. Proven solutions are at hand; it’s time to take action.”
