Drunk driving is a major problem in our country, including in Connecticut. A recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that Hartford, Waterbury and New Haven are among the 75 deadliest U.S. cities when it comes to drunk driving.
Drunk driving is a major problem in our country, including in Connecticut.
A recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that Hartford, Waterbury and New Haven are among the 75 deadliest U.S. cities when it comes to drunk driving.
Sadly, the Capital City ranks fifth on that list.
Lawmakers and state leaders say we're dealing with a crisis on our roads. Far too many people are getting behind the wheel while under the influence, putting themselves and others at serious risk.
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On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, and members of the New Haven Police Department said they would like to see cars equipped with technology that prevents drunk and impaired driving.
"We know that there is technology that can help prevent these deaths. They are all preventable. They are not the result of some kind of natural disaster that is unavoidable," said Blumenthal.
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The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act set a three-year deadline for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard that installs alcohol detection technology in cars.
That deadline is in November, and Blumenthal is urging the NHTSA to act quickly.
"They should do it right away. They have the power and the knowledge and the expertise, and they have the moral imperative," said Blumenthal.
"The negative economic and societal costs of impaired driving are enormous. NHTSA estimates that fatalities, injuries, and property damage from alcohol-impaired driving cost our society $280 billion in lost wages, lost quality of life, medical costs, and so much more," the NHTSA said in part in a statement.
The state says in 2021, 39 percent of all traffic-related deaths in Connecticut were due to drunk driving.
"In my priorities as a chief, this is extremely serious, and it's something that we have to aggressively attack every day and work hard to prevent," said New Haven Police Karl Jacobson.
The state is also working with the Driver Alcohol Detection System (DADSS), a research program that works to prevent drunk driving by sensing it on a driver's breath. Sensors are located behind the wheel, and if the driver's BAC is at or above .08, the car won't start.
The hope is that one day cars will come with a safety feature like this.
"In December 2023, NHTSA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking as a first step toward requiring alcohol-impairment detection technology in all new vehicles. This ANPRM was intended to help gather information about the state of technology to detect impaired driving, about how to deploy technology safely and effectively, and to provide other information to further the agency’s work as the research and technology advances to the level to develop a standard to prevent driver impairment. The agency received more than 18,000 public comments during the comment period, which was open until March 2024. The agency is now carefully reviewing those comments," the statement from the NHTSA continued.
