Congress Considers Funding for In-Car Alcohol Detection System
A government-auto industry program that is trying to develop a device to detect drunken drivers, which would be installed in all new vehicles, is on track to get a six-fold increase in funding.
Quote from the article:
Source: Congress Considers Funding for In-Car Alcohol Detection System
Quote from the article:
The device, which would automatically sniff the driver’s breath or use a light beam to test the alcohol content of tissue, would prevent drunken operators from starting the vehicle. There is no plan for the device to be mandatory. Those working on the project hope consumers will accept the alcohol interlock voluntarily because of the safety advantages. The program has been operating on $2 million a year, but that would increase to $12 million a year after it was added to the new Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010, which is awaiting consideration by the Senate. The act stemmed from Congressional hearings earlier this year on Toyota recalls. Those hearings led some senators to conclude that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lacks the resources and expertise to investigate complex, electronic problems and the clout to make automakers more responsive. The idea of extra funding for the drunken-driving program came in an amendment introduced by Senator Tom Udall, Democrat of New Mexico. In February, he had introduced a similar proposal as a standalone bill. The amendment calls for five years of funding at $12 million a year, for a total of $60 million. That money will go to the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety program. That is a cooperative effort among N.H.T.S.A. and 13 automakers, 11 of which are members of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an industry trade group. |
Source: Congress Considers Funding for In-Car Alcohol Detection System
Related Stories
02/19/2010 02:22 PM: Toyota head prepares for Congress grilling on recalls by DavidGPToyota Motor Corp's head bowed to pressure to testify before U.S. lawmakers and explain the company's safety crisis, becoming the highest profile Japanese executive to face such a grilling from Cong...
08/07/2009 11:16 AM: Congress OKs $2B refill of 'cash for clunkers', apparently blank check no longer illegal! by Timothy Tibbetts
Pedal to the metal, Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation Thursday night with an additional $2 billion for "cash for clunkers," the economy-boosting rebate program that caught the...
