The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently announced an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would help gather information about the state of technology that detects impaired driving.
The agency seeks to understand how to deploy the technology safely and effectively. It would use the information to develop a standard to prevent driver impairment.
The notice is the first step toward potentially making alcohol-impairment detection technology standard in new passenger vehicles once the technology is mature.
“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,” Polly Trottenberg, U.S Department of Transportation deputy secretary, said. “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. I want to applaud the NHTSA team, elected officials and advocates who helped get us to today and will continue to help lay the groundwork on this issue.”
The National Roadway Safety Strategy identified impaired driving prevention technology as a way to significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries, supporting a goal of zero traffic deaths through vehicle features that promote driver safety.