Federal regulators are taking steps to make technology that prevents drunk driving standard in new vehicles. The goal is to curb a problem that resulted in over 13,000 deaths last year.
Los Angeles Police Department officers check drivers at a DUI checkpoint in Reseda, Los Angeles, California on April 13, 2018. Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Tuesday that it is taking the initial steps toward mandating technology to prevent impaired operation of vehicles. This development could help address a major cause of fatalities on U.S. roadways.
“Impaired driving crashes are 100% preventable – there’s simply no excuse or reason to drive impaired by alcohol or drugs,” stated Ann Carlson, NHTSA’s acting administrator. The agency’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking starts the process of establishing new federal regulations.
According to NHTSA, this process will allow regulators to gather information on current technologies designed to detect and prevent impaired driving and to assess the feasibility of nationwide implementation. Some technologies under development include breath and touch sensors that detect alcohol consumption, along with cameras that monitor a driver’s eye movements for signs of impairment, as reported by Reuters.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has expressed its support for this initiative, vowing to push for the swift deployment of this technology. “Everyone involved in this rulemaking process at NHTSA and everyone designing impaired driving prevention technologies at car companies need to understand that this is about saving human beings from the horror I’ve experienced and from the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands of Americans,” said MADD national president Tess Rowland, who was hit head-on by a drunk driver in 2021. “We must get this done. Lives are at stake,” she added.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing automakers, released a statement indicating that they are reviewing NHTSA’s announcement. “Every single day automakers are working to make vehicles safer and smarter and to help address avoidable tragedies caused by behavior like drunk driving,” the group said.
NHTSA data indicates that drunk-driving crashes led to 13,384 fatalities in 2021, positioning it as a leading cause of death on the road. Furthermore, the agency estimates that these incidents result in approximately $280 billion in losses, encompassing medical costs, lost wages, and property damage.
The bipartisan infrastructure law passed in 2021 mandates that NHTSA establish a federal standard requiring new passenger vehicles to include technology that can prevent drunk and impaired driving, provided it is determined to be “reasonable” and “practicable,” with the potential to decrease crashes and fatalities.
