Overview

• At a July Senate hearing, Senator Bernie Moreno blasted the 2026 mandate for in-vehicle alcohol detection devices as an “insane regulation” that will raise car prices
• Senator Ben Ray Lujan disputed Moreno’s claim that the provision was “snuck in,” noting its bipartisan origins and recounting his near-fatal drunk driving crash
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving President Stacey Stewart called Moreno’s remarks “very disturbing” and highlighted that 34 people die daily from alcohol-impaired crashes
• The Department of Transportation missed its November 2024 deadline to finalize the impairment detection standard and now faces pressure to complete it before the 2026 model year
• Developers of the DADSS system say its passive breath and touch sensors will be ready for automakers by 2025 without requiring driver action or compromising privacy