In three years, the government wants every car, truck and van to be able to determine if the driver is under the influence of alcohol and prevent them from driving off. But just how likely is it that drunk driving detection will actually be in cars starting in 2027?
On this episode of Automotive Insight, John McElroy explores this forced adoption of technology and previews a timeline for the detection system to realistically be in every new car on American roads.
Crashes and fatalities from impaired driving are completely preventable, yet alcohol-impaired fatalities in the month of December hit a nearly 15-year high in 2021, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The alcohol-impairment detection technology could help prevent thousands of annual road deaths involving alcohol, the NHTSA said. Almost 13,400 people were killed in drunk driving crashes in 2021 alone, the latest data available.
NHTSA estimates that fatalities, injuries and property damage from alcohol-impaired driving cost our society $280 billion in lost wages, lost quality of life, medical costs and more.
