The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling on automakers to equip all new vehicles with technology that can detect alcohol-impaired drivers and stop them from driving. The move follows the investigation of a 2021 crash in California that killed nine.
“Technology could’ve prevented this heartbreaking crash — just as it can prevent the tens of thousands of fatalities from impaired-driving and speeding-related crashes we see in the U.S. annually,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “We need to implement the technologies we have right here, right now to save lives.”
While the board can’t itself impose such a rule, its recommendations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) carry considerable weight. The NHTSA is charged with creating and enforcing vehicle safety and equipment regulations.
The technologies could include passive detectors that sense alcohol on drivers’ breath when they enter the vehicle and monitoring systems that look for common traits of impaired drivers, such as lazy or reactive movements of the steering wheel. If the devices are triggered, they would prevent or limit the vehicle’s operation. Many cars already employ technologies that sense the characteristics of fatigued drivers, and those technologies could theoretically be adapted to the additional role.
The recommendations have been applauded by both AAA and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
“This is an exciting announcement by the NTSB and a true show of leadership by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy to move the nation closer to zero traffic deaths,” said Jake Nelson, AAA’s director of traffic safety and advocacy. “AAA supports using technology to make the ‘car the cure’ for impaired driving.”
According to the NHTSA, more than 230,000 people have died in crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers. In 2020, about 30% of all traffic fatalities involved drivers under the influence of alcohol.
The move to require the devices could still take at least three years to implement. The NTSB is similarly calling on automakers to develop and install technology that prevents speeding-related crashes.
from
https://collincountynewsonline.com/ntsb-calls-for-technology-to-battle-drunk-driving-u-s-news-world-report/
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