10 Things to Know About the Drunk Driving Prevention Technology Provision in the Infrastructure Bill

Congressional approval will result in state-of-art smart technology in all new cars to eliminate drunk driving

A key provision in the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, if passed, would lead to a new national safety standard requiring state-of-the-art smart technology in all new cars that would ultimately eliminate drunk driving. A similar provision is included in the U.S. House-passed INVEST in America Act.

This comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports alcohol-related traffic deaths rose by 9 percent in 2020 despite vehicle miles traveled plummeting by 430 billion miles. Additionally, drunk driving is costing the U.S. economy $120 billion a year.

“Passage of this legislation would be the most significant, lifesaving public policy victory in MADD’s 41-year history,” said MADD National President Alex Otte. “It would mark the beginning of the end of drunk driving.”

Read about the 10 things here.