A nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package unveiled by senators on Sunday outlines a suggested spending plan to improve the nation's roads, bridges, waterworks, broadband and the electric grid. It also attempts to prevent drunk driving.
Nestled deep inside the 2,700 page Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a provision that would require automakers to equip all new vehicles with an advanced alcohol monitoring system.
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The bill would establish a new "advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology safety standard." That includes a passive system inside every new vehicle to detect whether the driver's blood alcohol concentration is greater than .08, in which case the system would prevent or limit vehicle operation.
The bill would require the U.S. Transportation Department to set a technology safety standard within three years, Reuters reported. Automakers would then get at least another two years to comply.
The bill doesn't specify what kind of alcohol monitoring would be required. Possibilities include a breathalyzer that tests the air exhaled by the driver, or a touch-based sensor that reads blood alcohol concentration through the fingertip. A camera system could confirm that the driver is being tested and not someone else in the vehicle.
If the department doesn't finalize a set of rules within 10 years, regulators would have to detail their struggles in a report to Congress.
The anti–drunk driving measure is being promoted by Senator Gary Peters and Representative Debbie Dingell, both Democrats from Michigan.
"We have the technology to prevent drunk driving and save lives, and it's long past time that we use it," Congresswoman Dingell said in a statement.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving issued a statement supporting the proposal, saying it would mark the beginning of the end of drunk driving if passed.
"We cannot wait any longer to establish a standard for impaired driving technology that can be deployed on all new vehicles, drawing upon technology that exists today such as driver and driving monitoring," the statement said. "When signed into law, legislation leading to impaired driving prevention in all vehicles will be the most significant, lifesaving public policy in MADD's history."
Around 10,000 people are killed each year due to alcohol-related crashes in the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety suggests that cars with built-in alcohol-detection systems could save as many as 9,000 lives in the U.S. every year.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates the annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $44 billion. The Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation puts the cost of drunk driving even higher, at $132 billion annually.
The bipartisan bill is the first phase of President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan. It includes $110 billion for roads and bridges, $39 billion for public transit, $66 billion for rail and $55 billion for water and wastewater infrastructure. There's also billions for airports, ports, broadband internet and electric vehicle charging stations.
The Senate is still mulling over amendments to the proposal before taking a final vote. The bill faces a tough road in the House, where lawmakers want a more robust package but may have to settle in order to keep Biden's infrastructure plans on track.
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