A federal law requiring impairment-detection devices inside all new cars survived a recent push to strip its funding but remains stalled by questions about whether the technology is ready.
Rana Abbas Taylor lost her sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and two nieces when a driver with a blood-alcohol level almost four times the legal limit slammed into their car in January 2019 as the Michigan family drove through Lexington, Kentucky, on the way home from a Florida vacation.
The tragedy turned Abbas Taylor into an outspoken advocate for stopping the more than 10,000 alcohol-related deaths each year on U.S. roads. Lawmakers attached the Honoring Abbas Family Legacy to Terminate Drunk Driving Act to the $1 trillion infrastructure law that former President Joe Biden signed in 2021.
The measure, often referred to as the Halt Drunk Driving Act, anticipated that as early as this year, auto companies would be required to roll out technology to passively detect when drivers are drunk or impaired and prevent their cars from operating. Regulators can choose from a range of options, including air monitors, fingertip readers, or scanners that detect signs of impairment.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving called it the most important piece of legislation in the organization’s 45-year history. Still, implementation has been bogged down by regulatory delays, without any clear signals that final approval is near.
“The way we measure time is not by days or months or years. It’s by number of lives lost,” Abbas Taylor said in an interview. “So when we hear manufacturers say, ‘We need more time,’ or ‘The tech is not ready,’ all we hear is, ‘More people need to die before we’re willing to fix this.’”
The ‘kill switch’ debate
A Republican-led effort to remove the Halt Act’s funding was defeated in the U.S. House last month by a 268-164 vote. Another bill to repeal it entirely awaits a committee vote.
Most of the opposition has stemmed from suggestions that the law would require manufacturers to equip cars with a kill switch that would allow them to be controlled by the government, raising concerns from various lawmakers.
The alcohol industry has defended the law against such arguments by clarifying that it requires passive technology, similar to current safety mandates like seat belts.
However, some politicians argue that even passive technology could have negative implications for drivers and their autonomy.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing U.S. automakers, has expressed that additional research is vital before implementing the technology due to potential false positives.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently establishing rules for the Halt Act's implementation and expects to report back to Congress soon, although predictions suggest that decisions will be delayed until at least 2027.
Vouching for the tech’s reliability
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced that impairment detection technology will soon be included as criteria for a vehicle to earn one of its top safety awards.
Many states already mandate breath-activated ignition interlock systems for DUI offenders. The system under the Halt Act is intended to detect impairment beyond just drunk driving.
“We’re still sort of pushing back against this narrative that the technology doesn’t exist,” said a MADD representative, highlighting numerous existing technologies aimed at tackling drunk driving.
In a bid to accelerate the timeline, Congress is considering incentivizing the development of consumer-ready technology.
“When you’ve lost everything, there is nothing that will stop you from fighting for what is right,” Abbas Taylor stated, voicing hope for legislative progress.
