(Washington Insider Magazine) -Congress has imposed a new requirement on automakers: Create a high-tech method to prevent drunken drivers from driving cars.
It is one of the mandates, along with an increase in spending to improve auto safety amid increasing road fatalities. This is part of the $1 trillion infrastructure package President Joe Biden will sign soon.
The legislation would see monitoring systems for intoxicated drivers being installed in all new vehicles by 2026. This is after the Transportation Department has evaluated the best technology to fit in millions of vehicles, and automakers have been given the time they need to comply.
According to the Eno Center for Transportation, this is the largest increase in road safety funding in decades. It amounts to $17 billion. Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary, says this could lead to more bike paths and greener spaces that can be built along busy roads.
This is being referred to as the single greatest legislation in support of the efforts by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported last month that approximately 20,160 people were killed in traffic accidents in the first half 2021. This is the highest number of deaths in the first half since 2006. Agency has cited speeding, impaired driving, and the inability to wear seatbelts during coronavirus pandemic among the causes of the spike. According to NHTSA, approximately 10,000 Americans are killed each year in alcohol-related accidents in the U.S. Each year, this accounts for nearly 30% of all traffic deaths.
Some drunk drivers are required to use breathalyzers attached to an ignition interlock. They will blow into a tube and disable the vehicle if they have a high blood alcohol content. The legislation does not specify the technology. It only requires that the technology “passively monitors the performance of a driver on a motor vehicle in order to identify impairments.”
Guidehouse Insights’ principal mobility analyst Sam Abuelsamid said that infrared cameras, which monitor driver behavior, are the best system to prevent drunk driving. Automakers like Nissan, BMW, and General Motors already have this technology installed to monitor driver attention while partially automating driver-assist system.
Cameras are used to ensure that a driver is paying attention on the road and lookout for signs of impairment, such as drowsiness or loss of consciousness. If the signs are visible, the cars will alert the driver. If the behavior continues, the car will turn on its hazard light, slow down, and pull to the side.
This bill also requires automakers to install rear-seat warnings to notify parents if a child is inadvertently placed in the backseat. It could be implemented by 2025 after NHTSA has completed its rulemaking. According to Kidsandcars.org, more than 1,000 children have died of vehicular heatstroke since 1990. The highest number in one year was 54 in 2018.
Congress directed the agency to update decades-old safety standards to prevent deaths due to collapsing front seatbacks. It also issued a rule requiring automatic lane departure warnings and emergency braking in all passenger vehicles. However, no date was established for their compliance.
As part of a voluntary plan that was announced shortly after the Obama administration, most automakers have already committed to making automatic emergency braking standard equipment on all their models by September next year.
