Impaired Driving Detection Coming to US
Motor Trend reports on recent gov't. actions that will lead to drunk & drowsy driving detection built into new cars, https://www.motortrend.com/news/nhtsa-anti-drunk-driving-tech-rules-coming/
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has, after years of voicing its intent, officially submitted an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking surrounding anti-drunk-driving technology. This marks the first formal salvo in its bid to ensure every new vehicle sold in America comes with some form of built-in inebriation detection and possibly an interlock that prevents the car from being driven if the driver is determined to be impaired.
Alcohol-related vehicle crashes are among the leading cause of injury and death on America's roadways, which already have seen a precipitous backsliding in term of safety in recent years. After decades of progress reducing roadway deaths, America has seen car-related fatalities soar, leaving policymakers stumped and scrambling for solutions.
[...] Per NHTSA's notice: "This document initiates rulemaking that would gather the information necessary to develop performance requirements and require that new passenger motor vehicles be equipped with advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology through a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)." The agency adds that:
"The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or BIL) directs NHTSA to issue a final rule establishing a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) that requires new passenger vehicles to have 'advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology' by 2024. The BIL also provides that an FMVSS should be issued only if it meets the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act."
Most likely solution are cameras that watch the driver for warning signs, these already exist on some cars. It will be interesting to see if other solutions are also put forward.
MotorTrend then opines,
Of course, this opens many cans of worms. Will NHTSA advocate a warning system onboard that alerts the driver that they're impaired? An ignition interlock that prevents the car from starting and driving at all? What if there are false readings? A sober passenger taking whatever onboard test exists in the driver's place? One also could imagine the sort of arguments advocates of unfettered freedom might come up with: Someone eluding an attacker, but who had previously had a drink, being locked out of their means of escape due to technological misunderstanding. Of course, these concerns must be weighed against the more than 10,000 preventable deaths from drunk drivers annually.
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