How new car tech aims to prevent drunk driving deaths

The recently signed infrastructure law requires new vehicles in five years to have technology to stop drunk people from driving. Impaired driving crashes killed more than 10,000 Americans in 2019, and campaigners against drunken driving say the new technology could reduce fatalities dramatically. Some technology could use cameras and software to determine if a driver is impaired and could automatically park the vehicle. Other technology being considered would sniff for alcohol on a driver’s breath and prevent a vehicle from starting if the device finds the level too high.

Class discussion: Do you know anyone who has been injured or killed by a drunken driver? Do you know anyone who has been arrested for driving while impaired? Would you trust new technology to stop and park your vehicle to prevent drunk driving accidents? Why or why not? What could go wrong with the technology? If the technology mistakenly stops a sober person from driving, would that just be an inconvenience or a possible safety hazard? Are all the new technologies in cars making driving safer? Do you ever expect all vehicles on the roads to become completely self-driving?