Infrastructure Bill Requires Car Manufacturers to Install Breathalyzer-Style Systems in All New Cars by 2026

Buried within the massive infrastructure bill that recently passed is a slew of road safety endeavors, one of which is a requirement that car manufacturers install a monitoring system in all new vehicles that can detect whether a driver is under the influence of alcohol by 2026.

The goal of reducing the number of impaired drivers on the road is certainly one that is noble, as the NHTSA notes that there are over 10,000 deaths every year caused by drunk drivers – accounting for a third of all traffic-related deaths annually.

While breathalyzer-style technology has been around for years, where they’re typically ordered by courts to be installed in vehicles for a period of time after someone is convicted of a DUI offense, but the technology outlined in the infrastructure bill takes that concept a step farther.

Traditional breathalyzers are affixed to ignition interlocks in order to start a vehicle, whereas the idea presented in the infrastructure bill calls for a technology that can “passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired.”

In a report from the Associated Press on the matter, the principal mobility analyst of market intelligence and advisory firm Guidehouse Insights said that such technology would likely be achieved by way of “infrared cameras.” – READ MORE