US auto safety regulators said on Tuesday they started the process that will force carmakers to adopt new technology to prevent intoxicated drivers from starting vehicles.
In 2021, the US Congress directed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to mandate a passive technology to try to avert more than 10,000 road deaths annually. The law requires a new technology safety standard by November 2024 if the technology is ready.
There are potential technologies under development that would prevent impaired people from starting a vehicle, including breath- or touch-based sensors to detect alcohol. Another potential option is using cameras to monitor eye movements to try to determine if drivers are intoxicated.
The NHTSA must be assured the technology works before it can require it, and then give automakers at least three years to implement it once it finalises rules.
“We are trying to see can we get it done, does the technology exist in a way that is going to work every time,” said acting NHTSA administrator Ann Carlson, adding public acceptance of the technology would depend on its accuracy.
Carlson said there were close to one billion separate daily driving journeys in the US.
“If it's 99.9% accurate, you could have a million false positives,” Carlson said.
“Those false positives could be somebody trying to get to a hospital for an emergency.”
The NHTSA on Tuesday published an “advance notice of proposed rule making” to begin the process of gathering information on how such technology could be developed and required.
Its regulatory notice details the research and technological advancements needed to finalise regulations and options for potential rules, citing “blood alcohol content detection, impairment-detection (driver monitoring), or a combination”.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving President Tess Rowland said the group was “very pleased” with the NHTSA's launch.
“We understand we still have a mountain to climb,” Rowland said.
“Victims and survivors are not going to let this die.”
In 2021, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths, the most recent statistics available.
Carlson will tell a US House of Representatives committee on Wednesday that US traffic deaths fell 4.5% in the first nine months of the year after sharply rising during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“While we are optimistic we're finally seeing a reversal of the record-high fatalities seen during the pandemic, this is not a cause for celebration,” Carlson's written testimony said.
US agency takes first step to mandate anti-drunk driving technology
Image: sdm1984 / 123rf
US auto safety regulators said on Tuesday they started the process that will force carmakers to adopt new technology to prevent intoxicated drivers from starting vehicles.
In 2021, the US Congress directed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to mandate a passive technology to try to avert more than 10,000 road deaths annually. The law requires a new technology safety standard by November 2024 if the technology is ready.
There are potential technologies under development that would prevent impaired people from starting a vehicle, including breath- or touch-based sensors to detect alcohol. Another potential option is using cameras to monitor eye movements to try to determine if drivers are intoxicated.
The NHTSA must be assured the technology works before it can require it, and then give automakers at least three years to implement it once it finalises rules.
“We are trying to see can we get it done, does the technology exist in a way that is going to work every time,” said acting NHTSA administrator Ann Carlson, adding public acceptance of the technology would depend on its accuracy.
Carlson said there were close to one billion separate daily driving journeys in the US.
“If it's 99.9% accurate, you could have a million false positives,” Carlson said.
“Those false positives could be somebody trying to get to a hospital for an emergency.”
The NHTSA on Tuesday published an “advance notice of proposed rule making” to begin the process of gathering information on how such technology could be developed and required.
Its regulatory notice details the research and technological advancements needed to finalise regulations and options for potential rules, citing “blood alcohol content detection, impairment-detection (driver monitoring), or a combination”.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving President Tess Rowland said the group was “very pleased” with the NHTSA's launch.
“We understand we still have a mountain to climb,” Rowland said.
“Victims and survivors are not going to let this die.”
In 2021, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths, the most recent statistics available.
Carlson will tell a US House of Representatives committee on Wednesday that US traffic deaths fell 4.5% in the first nine months of the year after sharply rising during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“While we are optimistic we're finally seeing a reversal of the record-high fatalities seen during the pandemic, this is not a cause for celebration,” Carlson's written testimony said.
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