The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rolls out a new major initiative for the holiday season in its annual campaign to reduce drunk driving. This year’s drive underscores the need to lower the alcohol-related road death toll. The agency proposes all future vehicles to incorporate technology that both identifies and forestalls impaired drivers from operating the wheel, an application that could potentially save countless lives.
The sweeping development holds automakers accountable for integrating anti-drunk driving systems into new cars that could soon leave the factory floor. This substantial move addresses the harrowing reality of the current drunk driving situation which continues to cause untold losses. As per NHTSA's data, in 2021 alone, drunk driving led to the deaths of 13,000 individuals, with December recording the highest incidences in history.
Vehicles fitted with ignition interlocks, ordered by court for drunk-driving offenders and referred to as active detection, already exist in the market. However, this drive aims for passive detection, a technology referred to as the Driver Alcohol Detection System, or DADS. This system automatically gauges the alcohol levels in a driver’s body and, if beyond the approved limit, prevents the car from starting.
This latest NHTSA announcement clears the way for the installation of this life-saving technology in all new vehicles. In the words of Senator Ben Lujan of New Mexico, who himself, faced a fatal drunk-driving accident three decades ago, 'There's brilliant engineers out there. There's technology at our disposal. The technology exists. We can make this happen'.
Potential versions of this technology include the breath-based and touch-based versions. The latter uses infrared light to determine alcohol levels beneath the skin's surface, to be installed ideally in a gear shift or a start button.
While the intention to make this technology a requirement is a giant leap, it comes with significant hurdles. The federal government still needs to garner public feedback and information. In addition, it needs public support, and if it all goes well, advocates hope to see it become a law by November. Looking back at resistance to similar auto technology advancements like seatbelts, it's a steep road ahead, albeit one that could save 9,000 or more lives annually.
