The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act mandates advanced impairment detection technology in all new passenger vehicles. Section 24220 of the bill, titled “ADVANCED IMPAIRED DRIVING TECHNOLOGY,” requires systems that can passively monitor driver performance to accurately identify impairment, prevent vehicle operation if impairment is detected, and determine blood alcohol concentration at or above legal limits.
The technology will include infrared cameras mounted on the steering column to track pupil dilation and drowsiness patterns. If impaired, AI systems may prevent ignition or limit speed.
Magna, a company contracted by General Motors, utilizes “cockpit-embedded sensors” that measure exhaled breath and pupillary signals to determine blood alcohol levels. Researchers are also developing a touch system designed to analyze alcohol found beneath the driver’s skin using tissue spectroscopy, requiring a finger scan.
The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety program, funded by automakers, will require these systems in all new passenger vehicles by year-end, addressing drunk driving fatalities and costs Congress estimated at over $44 billion in 2010.
