Dive Brief:
- Automakers may be required to install anti-drunk driving technology in new vehicles sold in the U.S. as soon as 2026.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday it would implement a section of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requiring NHTSA to create a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard mandating new passenger vehicles to have “advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology.” NHTSA will only finalize such a regulation if it meets the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act’s requirements.
- The agency plans to issue an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to collect information about impaired driving technology and how to deploy it. Vehicle manufacturers, auto suppliers and others will have 60 days to submit public comments to NHTSA after the notice is posted on the federal register.
Dive Insight:
A growing number of automakers, including General Motors and Tesla, install driver-monitoring systems to ensure drivers are paying attention while using their vehicle’s advanced driver-assistance features.
But NHTSA may require vehicle manufacturers to install systems capable of monitoring alcohol-impaired drivers in the future, which some experts say is more practical than breathalyzers.
The agency, however, is considering three regulatory options: alcohol content detection, driver monitoring or a combination of the two. NHTSA will not address drug-impaired driving due to the technology’s immaturity and a lack of testing protocols.
The announcement is a preliminary stage in the regulatory process. The infrastructure law mandates that NHTSA issue its final rule by Nov. 15, 2024. It also requires the final regulation to take effect at least two years, but no more than three years, after publication to give manufacturers enough time to comply.
Congress included the provision in the infrastructure law to address growing concerns about the rise in traffic fatalities, including those caused by alcohol- and drug-impaired driving. According to NHTSA, drunk driving crashes killed more than 13,000 people in 2021, increasing 14% year over year and making up 31% of all traffic fatalities.
In an email, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group representing vehicle manufacturers and auto suppliers in the U.S., said it was reviewing NHTSA’s notice.
“Every single day automakers are working to make vehicles safer and smarter and to help address avoidable tragedies caused by behavior like drunk driving,” Auto Innovators said.
The Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, which includes 16 automakers such as GM and Toyota, has been collaborating with NHTSA on developing anti-drunk driving technology through the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety Research Program since 2008.
“It is tragic that drunk driving crashes are one of the leading causes of roadway fatalities in this country and far too many lives are lost,” U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg said in a statement Tuesday. “The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking we are announcing today is the first step toward a new safety standard requiring alcohol-impaired-driving prevention technology in new passenger vehicles.”
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, preventing people from driving while under the influence of alcohol would save more than 10,000 lives each year. NHTSA estimates alcohol-impaired driving costs the U.S. about $280 billion annually in lost wages, medical expenses and other costs.
