The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for new measures to prevent impaired driving car crashes following a report on the investigation into a drunk driving accident that killed nine people, including seven children.
The NTSB determined that the crash on New Year’s Day 2021 in Avenal, California, was caused by an inebriated motorist who was speeding.
“Technology could’ve prevented this heartbreaking crash — just as it can prevent the tens of thousands of fatalities from impaired-driving and speeding-related crashes we see in the U.S. annually,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “We need to implement the technologies we have right here, right now to save lives.”
The NTSB is recommending new in-vehicle technologies to prevent drunk or otherwise impaired people from driving their vehicles, as well as technologies to prevent speeding. The safety board recommends that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) require that passive vehicle-integrated alcohol impairment detection systems, advanced driver monitoring systems, or a combination of the two be installed in all new automobiles.
Impaired Driving and Speeding
Impaired driving is a major factor in highway accidents that result in injuries and deaths. According to the NHTSA, more than 230,000 people have died in collisions involving drunk drivers since 2000. About 12,000 fatalities result from alcohol-impaired driving accidents every year, nearly 30% of all traffic fatalities. In Florida last year, drunk driving crashes killed nearly 800 people.
Speeding is another highway safety problem that shows no sign of abating. Speeding increases the likelihood of being in an accident and the severity of the injuries sustained in one. According to NHTSA, speeding leads to more than 11,000 car accident fatalities every year.
The NTSB’s Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements includes both the problems of drunk driving and excessive speeding. The NTSB has advocated for in-vehicle alcohol detection technology, the lowering of the blood alcohol limit to.05 g/dL or lower, alcohol ignition-interlock devices for those convicted of driving while intoxicated, and regulators developing a standard of practice to improve drug toxicology testing in order to prevent alcohol and other drug-impaired driving crashes. The NTSB has also advocated for a thorough approach to reducing crashes caused by speeding that blends established practices like enforcement and regulation with cutting-edge innovations like speed limiters and clever speed adaptation technologies.
Driving in Florida is risky enough as it is without impaired driving. Accidents caused by drunk drivers do significant harm. An Orlando car accident attorney with the Martinez Manglardi personal injury law firm may be able to help you recover losses and obtain compensation if a drunk driver has caused you harm. Call 866-730-3508 for a free consultation. Convenient locations throughout Central Florida.
