If you’re anything like me, the speed with which technology is advancing is almost too much to keep up with. No doubt, while some technology is proving to be a detriment to society, like the diminishment of person-to-person interaction, other technology serves to benefit technology, like the various ways lives can be saved as a result of technology. Two law makers are hoping that new technology can stop drunk driving and save lives in the process.
Recall the post Can Alcohol Sensors in All Cars Eliminate Drunk Driving? where I discussed the prospect of introducing alcohol sensing technology into all new vehicles available for purchase.
Since then, as expected, alcohol sensing technology has advanced and Tom Udall, a democratic senator from New Mexico, and Rick Scott, a republican senator from Florida, have said in a recent interview with Reuters that they plan on introducing bi-partisan legislation making the technology a requirement for all new vehicles off the lot.
“This issue has a real urgency to it,” Udall said in an interview with Reuters. “The industry is often resistant to new mandates. We want their support but we need to do this whether or not we have it – lives are at stake.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), almost 30 people die in the United States as a result of drunk driving. In 2017, that amounted to 10,847 fatalities involving drunk driving.
The technology that Udall and Scott are referring to are devices implanted within a steering wheel or a push-button ignition that can detect the blood alcohol content of a driver through infrared lights shined through the driver’s finger tips. They are also looking at sensors that monitor a driver’s eye movement and breath. Whatever the method, should the technology detect a blood alcohol content higher than the legal limit, the driver will not be able to start their vehicle.
A similar bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Debbie Dingell, a Democrat, that would require setting rules for advanced vehicle alcohol detection devices by 2024.
The NHTSA has invested over $50 million spanning 10 years in similar technology to what Udall and Scott are seeking to implement. The technology is already undergoing limited field testing in Maryland and Virginia, according to Udall.
Earlier this year, Volvo announced plans to install cameras and sensors in its vehicles by the early 2020’s to monitor the driver for distractions, errors, and even drunk driving. And should the technology detect anything that could result in a collision, the vehicles internal system would limit the vehicle’s speed, alert the “Volvo on Call” assistance service, or slow down and parking the car.
Udall and Scott’s Reduce Impaired Driving for Everyone Act, or RIDE Act, can be read here.
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