Though Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is generally somewhat better than Rep. Kevin McCarthy, things are still far from great in the House, and even House GOP. One such issue was recently pointed out by Rep. Thomas Massie, who noted that a certain bill gives the government the ability to passively monitor and prevent the use of vehicles.
The legislation is, of course, framed as being responsible and sound governance. Technically about stopping impaired driving, Rep. Massie pointed out that it gives the government the ability to passively monitor and potentially shut down a car using a “kill switch.”
The text of the bill begins by noting the immense cost of drunk driving, noting, “alcohol-impaired driving fatalities represent approximately ⅓ of all highway fatalities in the United States each year.” Continuing, it notes that “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”
Then, getting into some specific examples of the costs of drunk driving, it notes “the estimated economic cost for alcohol-impaired driving in 2010 was $44,000,000,000,” “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 “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.”
That’s when it gets to the scary bit, providing that the system required by the bill would “passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired” and “prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if an impairment is detected.“
The bill then notes that the required system would “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 “prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit is detected.”
Rep. Massie, tweeting about the bill, noted, “During debate last night on my amendment to defund the 2026 kill-switch mandate for cars, some Democrats claimed the technology wouldn’t monitor or disable cars. Here’s the actual law I had to read to them: My amendment failed.”
During debate last night on my amendment to defund the 2026 kill-switch mandate for cars, some Democrats claimed the technology wouldn’t monitor or disable cars. Here’s the actual law I had to read to them:
My amendment failed. Link to the roll call vote: https://t.co/YWufj9C2C3 pic.twitter.com/JDN1TltaDo
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) November 8, 2023
USA Today noted that the view of the bill shared by Rep. Massie is somewhat incorrect, providing, “Automobile experts told USA TODAY the bill does not direct a kill switch to be implemented in cars, nor does it give any third parties, including law enforcement or government officials, access to the in-vehicle technology. Rather, the bill in question directs a federal agency to require technology that would detect driver impairment and disable the vehicle in that scenario.”
Continuing, USA Today adds that “the legislation does not direct the agency to require a kill switch – a device that allows someone to shut off a vehicle remotely – that law enforcement or government officials can access” and that the bill does not give “any law enforcement or third party access to any information on vehicles or control of any technology installed in vehicles.”
Politifact, for its part, noted, “The administration partnered with the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety to create the technology that is expected to monitor drivers’ alcohol levels using sensors and infrared lights in vehicles. If the system detects a blood alcohol level above 0.08%, the vehicle will not move.“
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