Nov 17, 2021 19:00:00

Drunk driving prevention technology may be required to be installed in all vehicles

On Monday, November 15, 2021, US President Joe Biden signed a $ 1 trillion

infrastructure investment bill . The bill not only aims to renovate aging bridges and roads, but also to improve high-speed communication networks and create new jobs. Not only this, investment in measures to improve the safety of automobiles and eradicate traffic accidents caused by drunk driving is also expected, and it is reported that in-vehicle technology to prevent drunk driving may be obligatory.

Congress mandates in-car technology to stop drunk driving
https://www.autoblog.com/2021/11/10/drunk-driving-car-technology-infrastructure-bill/

The Infrastructure Investment Bill, signed by President Biden, will allow all automakers time to comply, while assessing surveillance systems to eradicate drunk driving under the leadership of the U.S. government's transport sector, 2026. It is also planned to equip all new vehicles with a driver monitoring system.

According to the Eno Center for Transportation , a non-profit transportation organization based in Washington, DC, the infrastructure investment bill will allocate about $ 17 billion of the total $ 1 trillion to traffic safety programs. It seems that it is.

US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg only mentions that the budget allocated to the road safety program will be allocated to road maintenance, tree planting, etc., but Alex of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) 'The beginning of the end of drunk driving,' 'the most important law (for us),' and 'effectively eliminating road murderers in the United States,' Otte said of the program.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced in October 2021 that an estimated 20,160 people died in road accidents in the first half of 2021. This number is the highest since 2006, when the agency began statistics on road accidents. In addition, according to the United States Department of Transportation, about 10,000 people die each year in traffic accidents related to drunk driving, which accounts for about 30% of the fatalities in traffic accidents.

At the time of writing the article, a person convicted of drunk driving in the United States will install an 'ignition interlock' in the car that will check the driver's breath before driving and will not start the car when alcohol is detected. You are obliged to do that. However, the infrastructure investment bill's road safety program requires the introduction of technology that can 'passively monitor the performance of the driver of a car and accurately identify whether the driver is abnormal'. There is no specific statement that requires the introduction of ignition interlocks.

Sam Abuelsamid, a mobility analyst at consulting firm Guidehouse , said the most likely technology that could be installed in cars to prevent drunk driving is 'driver monitoring with an infrared camera.' Said. The same kind of technology has been introduced by automakers such as General Motors, BMW, and Nissan, and the partially automated similar technology is used as driver monitoring technology for self-driving cars.

This type of technology makes sure the driver is looking at the road and checks if the driver is drowsy or unconscious. The car warns the driver if signs of dozing or loss of consciousness are found. If the signs still persist, turn on the hazard lights to slow down the car and stop it on the shoulder.

Abuelsamid hopes that these kinds of technologies will be incorporated into cars as anti-drinking technologies, and that ignition interlocks will force everyone to breathe into the tube every time they get in the car. Hiring was 'not a practical solution,' he said.

In addition, the traffic safety program of the Infrastructure Investment Bill requires the installation of a system to prevent children from being left behind in the car, or updates the safety standards for cars set decades ago. It is also planned to do.