Mandatory kill switches on new cars coming in 2026

[Vimes]

This is a repost of what I mistakenly put in the junkyard.

There's a lot of news stories about kill switches being mandatory in new cars after 2026, that will shut the car down if the car thinks you're driving drunk or otherwise impaired. The problem - how does the car determine that you're drunk, or perhaps dodging blown tire bits or other debris on the road? How about rush hour traffic when there's a lot of jerking, slow driving (slower than the GPS says the speed limit is, which is an "indicator" of drunk driving? It might make new tech engine swaps a problem as well, since this will almost certainly have to be integrated into the ECM which likely will throw up errors and not allow the engine to run if it doesn't see the detection sensors. I don't know about the rest of you, but I see this as a bad thing for the future particularly if a later Congress decides that cars without this tech are no longer allowed. I don't know about the rest of you but I plan to yell at my Congressman about this one.


http://bobbarr.org/2021/11/29/bidens...itch-for-cars/




And, directly from the bill, which was signed into law:


https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-...bill/3684/text


SEC. 24220. ADVANCED IMPAIRED DRIVING TECHNOLOGY.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) alcohol-impaired driving fatalities represent approximately
\1/3\ of all highway fatalities in the United States each year;
(2) in 2019, there were 10,142 alcohol-impaired driving
fatalities in the United States involving drivers with a blood
alcohol concentration level of .08 or higher, and 68 percent of the
crashes that resulted in those fatalities involved a driver with a
blood alcohol concentration level of .15 or higher;
(3) the estimated economic cost for alcohol-impaired driving in
2010 was $44,000,000,000;
(4) according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety,
advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology can
prevent more than 9,400 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities
annually; and
(5) to ensure the prevention of alcohol-impaired driving
fatalities, advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention
technology must be standard equipment in all new passenger motor
vehicles.
(b) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention
technology.--The term ``advanced drunk and impaired driving
prevention technology'' means a system that--
(A) can--
(i) passively monitor the performance of a driver of a
motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver
may be impaired; and
(ii) prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if an
impairment is detected;
(B) can--
(i) passively and accurately detect whether the blood
alcohol concentration of a driver of a motor vehicle is
equal to or greater than the blood alcohol concentration
described in section 163(a) of title 23, United States
Code; and
(ii) prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if a
blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit is
detected; or
(C) is a combination of systems described in subparagraphs
(A) and (B).
(2) New.--The term ``new'', with respect to a passenger motor
vehicle, means that the passenger motor vehicle--
(A) is a new vehicle (as defined in section 37.3 of title
49, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation));
and
(B) has not been purchased for purposes other than resale.
(3) Passenger motor vehicle.--The term ``passenger motor
vehicle'' has the meaning given the term in section 32101 of title
49, United States Code.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
Transportation, acting through the Administrator of the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
(c) Advanced Drunk and Impaired Driving Prevention Technology
Safety Standard.--Subject to subsection (e) and not later than 3 years
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a
final rule prescribing a Federal motor vehicle safety standard under
section 30111 of title 49, United States Code, that requires passenger
motor vehicles manufactured after the effective date of that standard
to be equipped with advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention
technology.
(d) Requirement.--To allow sufficient time for manufacturer
compliance, the compliance date of the rule issued under subsection (c)
shall be not earlier than 2 years and not more than 3 years after the
date on which that rule is issued.
(e) Timing.--If the Secretary determines that the Federal motor
vehicle safety standard required under subsection (c) cannot meet the
requirements and considerations described in subsections (a) and (b) of
section 30111 of title 49, United States Code, by the applicable date,
the Secretary--
(1) may extend the time period to such date as the Secretary
determines to be necessary, but not later than the date that is 3
years after the date described in subsection (c);
(2) shall, not later than the date described in subsection (c)
and not less frequently than annually thereafter until the date on
which the rule under that subsection is issued, submit to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate
and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives a report describing, as of the date of submission
of the report--
(A) the reasons for not prescribing a Federal motor vehicle
safety standard under section 30111 of title 49, United States
Code, that requires advanced drunk and impaired driving
prevention technology in all new passenger motor vehicles;
(B) the deployment of advanced drunk and impaired driving
prevention technology in vehicles;
(C) any information relating to the ability of vehicle
manufacturers to include advanced drunk and impaired driving
prevention technology in new passenger motor vehicles; and
(D) an anticipated timeline for prescribing the Federal
motor vehicle safety standard described in subsection (c); and
(3) if the Federal motor vehicle safety standard required by
subsection (c) has not been finalized by the date that is 10 years
after the date of enactment of this Act, shall submit to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate
and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representative a report describing--
(A) the reasons why the Federal motor vehicle safety
standard has not been finalized;
(B) the barriers to finalizing the Federal motor vehicle
safety standard; and
(C) recommendations to Congress to facilitate the Federal
motor vehicle safety standard.

[JustJohn]

Looks like something intended for fund raising.

[ryeguy2006a]

Probably will have camera's in the car that will monitor you.

[JustJohn]

Probably will have camera's in the car that will monitor you.

They already do for the more advanced automated driving options like super cruise.

[parsonsj]

I'd move this to the Political forum, but many don't enable that option. We'll leave it here for now. Let's stay respectful, please.

[Zachalanche]

Hopefully, the kill switch works better than the gov mandated TPMS systems. otherwise, the interstate is going to be littered with stalled vehicles.

Also , I wasn't aware the political forum still existed. I could write a novel over there these days....but I probably shouldn't.

[Tsaints1115]

Well look at it this way. If it wasn't for a bunch of impaired driving a-holes killing people we wouldn't see the Govt pushing for it.

[JustJohn]

Well look at it this way. If it wasn't for a bunch of impaired driving a-holes killing people we wouldn't see the Govt pushing for it.

I'm not even convinced the issue is impaired drivers so much as it is disinterested drivers. I suspect most of the people on this site enjoy driving for it's own sake. Most people don't. "Impaired" also includes driving with a medical device like a cast or boot and under the influence of a cell phone. *Old man shakes cane at sky*

Frankly, I'm all for fully automated vehicles for other people since they weren't interested in the first place.

[67-LS1]

My ex wife had to blow into a tube to start her car. Complete boozer.

[Samckitt]

Both of the initial links posted now are no longer available.

[jimco84x]

Sounds like a good reason to continue reinventing these old cars and trucks we all have.

[Vimes]

Looks like something intended for fund raising.

Nope, the text is the actual law as written. When I post stuff like this I like posting the actual text, not what some talking head is claiming. 90 percent of the time the talking head is cherry picking words to make their position look better, but this one is the 10 percent that's accurate. But if you want to send me money, my address is Sam Vimes, PO box... I promise to use any and all donations to increase the domestic consumption of Canadian whiskeys.

I'd move this to the Political forum, but many don't enable that option. We'll leave it here for now. Let's stay respectful, please.

I know it can look political since it involves government, but my intent was to make people aware that this is coming. Personally I'd like to see everyone pitch a fit at their Congress-critter about this, regardless of what color their stripe is, and that's as political as I wish to be about it.

Both of the initial links posted now are no longer available.

Weird. It looks like the way the link was saved it's not giving a complete link. But, you can see the text by going to the Congress.gov link searching out H.R. 3684, then search inside the bill for:
SEC. 24220. ADVANCED IMPAIRED DRIVING TECHNOLOGY.

[JustJohn]

Nope, the text is the actual law as written. When I post stuff like this I like posting the actual text, not what some talking head is claiming. 90 percent of the time the talking head is cherry picking words to make their position look better, but this one is the 10 percent that's accurate. But if you want to send me money, my address is Sam Vimes, PO box... I promise to use any and all donations to increase the domestic consumption of Canadian whiskeys.

I just can't endorse that. Maybe if it were Kentucky bourbon....

[raustinss]

Laws can change... legs worry about this when its much closer to happening.. and wait to see what the aftermarket can do about it ,this to me seems along the same lines as being concerned about getting shot every day .. just live your lives everyone

[redmanf1]

Just more Gov control... Most of us are on the wrong side of the money to have laws changed..

[dcozzi]

"(3) the estimated economic cost for alcohol-impaired driving in
2010 was $44,000,000,000"

Wonder how they extrapolated this data? Sounds like an exaggerated figure generated purely for effect.