How New Anti-DUI Vehicle Legislation Affects Californians
President Biden signed legislation in 2021 that requires all new vehicles to be manufactured with advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology installed in them to reduce DUIs across the United States. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act calls for this change to be made after a given date. As a Californian, knowing how this new anti-DUI legislation could affect you is crucial. We’ve outlined everything you need to know about the bill below.
If you were a victim of a DUI incident in California and suffered an injury, the Law Firm of Joseph H. Low IV will fight passionately for you to receive compensation. Call us today at (562) 901-0840 for a free consultation.
An Overview of the New Legislation
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed by President Biden in November 2021, implements an over $1 trillion dollar infrastructure package authorizing improvements across various industries, including public transport, road safety, bridges, airports, and wastewater. As part of this package, the requirement for all “new” vehicles to be manufactured with anti-DUI technology is outlined under the heading “driving technology.”
The new drunk and impaired driving prevention technology will become standard equipment in all new passenger motor vehicles, according to the relevant provisions of the Act. This technology will work by passively monitoring a driver’s performance to determine whether they are driving under the influence, or by passively and accurately detecting their blood-alcohol level.
Where impairment is detected, the technology prevents or limits the driver from operating the vehicle.
When Does This Requirement Come into Effect?
While the Infrastructure Act itself came into effect on the 15th of November 2021, the anti-DUI vehicle technology is a few years from becoming the standard in all newly manufactured vehicles.
The secretary of Transport will issue a final rule within three years of the Act’s effective date, requiring all newly manufactured vehicles to have anti-DUI technology installed. Therefore, manufacturers will have between two to three years from the rule’s effective date to ensure that all newly manufactured cars have legislation-compliant anti-DUI technology installed.
Following these timeframes, this technology could be rolled out in all new vehicles in the United States as soon as November 2026. However, provisions allow for these timeframes to be extended if required.
Is This Policy Likely to Help?
As outlined in the Infrastructure Act, alcohol-impaired drivers continue to significantly contribute to road fatalities, representing approximately 1/3 of all highway fatalities across the United States. In California, DUI-related crashes resulting in injury have fluctuated from 28463 annual cases in 2008 down to 23178 cases in 2013 and increased again to 27435 yearly cases in 2018.
This new anti-DUI technology legislation is likely to significantly reduce DUI-related crashes, particularly once enough time has elapsed, whereby most people are driving cars manufactured with the new technology in place. While attempts to reduce drunk driving, such as increased penalties and routine stops, help curb drunk-driving statistics, no methods to date have as wide-reaching a scope as this new policy. It will effectively screen anyone with a new vehicle after the Act takes full effect for alcohol-impairment every time they get into their vehicle.
Call The Law Firm of Joseph H. Low IV For DUI Injury Claims
The Law Firm of Joseph H. Low IV are leading personal injury attorneys in California, with experience across a range of practice areas, including for victims of DUI accidents. If you were injured as a result of a DUI in Colorado, we will fight passionately for you to receive the compensation and justice you deserve. Call us today at (562) 901-0840.