Regulations to be developed and implemented in as little as 3 years.
The National Transportation Safety Board is officially advising that all cars and trucks be equipped with alcohol detection devices. The recommendation comes following an investigation into a head-on collision that took place on New Year’s Day 2021 in Avenel, California, between a speeding SUV being driven by an impaired driver and a pickup truck that left nine dead.
”Technology could’ve prevented this heartbreaking crash — just as it can prevent the tens of thousands of fatalities from impaired-driving and speeding-related crashes we see in the U.S. annually,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stated. “We need to implement the technologies we have right here, right now to save lives.”
The infrastructure bill passed last year included a requirement for all vehicles to be equipped with passive alcohol interlocks, which would make them inoperable if a high blood alcohol level is detected. The law dictates that regulations be developed within three years and gives automakers two years to comply, but allows the Department of Transportation to extend the periods, if technically necessary.
According to the NTSB, there were 11,654 fatalities in alcohol-related crashes in 2020, which represented approximately 30 percent of all accident-related deaths.
The NTSB, which has no regulatory authority and can only ask other agencies to act, said the recommendation is designed to put pressure on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to move. It could be effective as early as three years from now.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy as she promotes the passive alcohol interlocks.
- For Executive Director Jack Danielson as he oversees the NHTSA.
- For Secretary Buttigieg as the Transportation Department works on regulations under the infrastructure law.
Sources: Fox Business, NPR
