As part of a concerted initiative to enhance road safety by curbing the influence of intoxicated and distracted drivers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is actively developing a proposal mandating impaired driving prevention technology in new passenger vehicles.
The NHTSA released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on Jan. 5, seeking essential information to formulate performance standards for this technology. It’s important to note that this rulemaking specifically excludes commercial motor vehicles.
In 2021, drunk driving incidents resulted in the tragic loss of 13,384 lives, prompting the NHTSA to address this critical issue.
“Alcohol-impaired driving is a major cause of crashes and fatalities on America’s roadways,” the agency wrote in the 105-page notice. “NHTSA has been actively involved in addressing alcohol-impaired driving since the 1970s. Recent developments in vehicle technology present new opportunities to further reduce drunk and impaired driving crashes and fatalities or eliminate them altogether.”
The agency acknowledges various technologies with the potential to identify impairments like alcohol, drowsiness, and distraction. However, they also recognize technological challenges such as distinguishing between different impairment states, avoiding false positives, and determining suitable prevention measures. It’s worth noting that the proposed rulemaking does not cover drugged driving because of “technology immaturity and a lack of testing protocols.”
This advance notice seeks to compile insights into the current state of technology for detecting impaired driving and how to implement it safely and effectively. The initiation of this rulemaking aligns with the directives outlined in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which stipulates that NHTSA should only introduce new regulations in accordance with the National Traffic Motor Vehicle Safety Act’s requirements.
The public will have a 60-day window, starting on Jan. 5, to provide comments on various aspects, including privacy and security concerns and consumer acceptance. Those interested in contributing to the discussion can visit the regulations.gov website and input Docket No. NHTSA-2022-0079.
Source: Land Line
