Georgia Injury Law Blog
The federal administration has kickstarted the rule-making process that would require drunk driving car accident prevention technology on all new cars.
This welcome announcement was made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which recently announced that it has started work on the rule- making process that would require impaired driving prevention systems on all new cars. These systems that work to prevent drivers from operating a vehicle include technology that measures the amount of alcohol on a person’s breath and prevents him from operating the engine if it detects a certain amount of alcohol in his system. This technology is very similar to the ignition interlock systems that are currently used in several states, including Georgia, as penalties for repeat drunk driving offenders. Other technologies that will be reviewed include camera systems that can monitor eye movements in order to identify if a driver is impaired or driving under the influence of alcohol.
At this point, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiative would allow regulators to collect data about the various systems that are currently in place in automobiles and their impact in reducing the incidence of driving under the influence of alcohol. If things reach their preferred conclusion, we could have drunk driving auto accident prevention sensors, cameras or other systems in all new cars as a standard feature. There is no doubt that this could significantly help reduce the number of car accidents caused by impaired drivers.