Washington D.C. — In a landmark decision toward the prevention of drunk driving-related deaths, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that will mandate anti-DUI technology on all new vehicles by 2026.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will, in part, address the responsibility of automakers to prevent their vehicles from being driven while under the influence of alcohol.
The act specifies that by 2026 automakers are required to install “Advanced Impaired Driving Technology” on all new vehicles.
In 2019, there were 10,142 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in the United States involving drivers with a blood alcohol concentration level of .08 or higher. The U.S. government expects this new technology to be capable of preventing 9,400, or 90 percent, of those deaths.
Advanced Impaired Driving Technology is defined in the act as a system that can “passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired, and prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if an impairment is detected.
“Or can passively and accurately detect whether the blood alcohol concentration of a driver of a motor vehicle is equal to or greater than the blood alcohol concentration described in section 163(a) of title 23, United States Code, and prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit is detected.”
If Joe Biden signs the bill, the U.S. secretary of transportation will have three years to implement a final rule on the specifics of how cars will passively monitor drivers for intoxication. Following that, automakers will have two years to comply.
The full Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act can be found here.
