Over the years, one of the biggest causes of fatal automotive accidents revolves around drunk driving, which has been a problem for a long time now. Traffic fatalities in the U.S., overall, have declined as of late following years of increases – largely due to risky behaviors like driving while intoxicated – but despite this, a number of entities continue to push for ways to drive those numbers down further. That includes the Ford backed industry lobby group known as the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI), which recently launched a new consortium designed to help reduce drunk driving.
As Ford Authority reported nearly one year ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) plans to establish a safety rule requiring the installation of “advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology” in new passenger vehicles as part of the Investment and Jobs Act. There are a variety of technologies currently in development, including in-vehicle sensors and cameras, breath and touch-based alcohol detection systems, and driver warning and alert systems, but there’s also a lot of confusion about how they’ll work, as well as how the public will react to them.
As such, AAI has established a new consortium with a variety of other organizations that will pool resources and fund studies on these themes and other questions reflected in the 18,000 or so public comments the NHTSA has received thus far. The most common include “what is the best way to communicate with consumers about these new vehicle technologies,” “should drunk driving prevention systems completely disable a vehicle if alcohol is detected,” and “how should the vehicle respond if alcohol is detected during a trip and the vehicle is traveling at a high rate of speed?”
“Automakers are making major investments in research, development, and testing of drunk and impaired driving technology using sensors, cameras, and warning systems. But anytime the government requires vehicle technology, important questions should be asked,” said John Bozzella, president and CEO of Alliance for Automotive Innovation. “Like how does this technology work in the real world? Answering those questions is essential – otherwise the technology may be rejected by drivers. That’s a result nobody wants. Our research consortium will help NHTSA fill those knowledge gaps.”
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