U.S. auto safety regulators say they have taken the first step toward requiring devices in vehicles that prevent drunken or impaired driving.

Program Aired: June 8, 2023 2 p.m. ET There is no shortage of compliance measures required of today's fleets – from Driver Fitness and ELD’s to Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use and Testing – these measures are designed to keep our roadways safe. Minimum compliance is a requirement to remain in good standing, and the inability to meet standards can result in poor roadside safety performance, hefty civil penalties, and increased risk for civil litigation, to name a few.

DETROIT — The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that all new vehicles in the U.S. be equipped with blood alcohol monitoring systems that can stop an intoxicated person from driving.

WASHINGTON — Congress has created a new requirement for automakers: Find a high-tech way to keep drunken people from driving cars.

In a recent review of highway safety in 2020, NHTSA reported the greatest number of fatalities due to traffic accidents since 2007, despite the fact that the number of miles traveled by vehicles declined by 13% from 2019. Understanding the underlying cause of these accidents and instituting preventative measures to reduce their numbers is essential to the greater safety of all who travel the nation's highways.

A Canadian company that makes alcohol-detection devices attached to steering wheels of school buses hopes to expand to North American trucking companies.