The Biden administration is trying to be a “backseat driver” by encroaching on our property and privacy rights. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has started the process of implementing a device mandate in all new cars that would spy on our driving and have the ability to disable the car. Mandating a kill switch in our vehicles would be the death of our automobile autonomy.
In 2021, House Democrats passed a “woke” infrastructure bill into law that drove the nation billions of dollars further into debt while aggressively promoting Green New Deal policies. One of those policies buried deep into the text was a way for the federal government to control our vehicles. The law explicitly calls for automobile manufacturers to include in every car a system to “passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired” and will “prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if an impairment is detected.” In other words, the feds will mandate that your new car be equipped with technology to prevent you from starting or even force your car to be shut off if the device senses a difference in your driving.
While the left claims this is a way to cut down on drunk driving, there is no language specifically addressing the reading of blood alcohol levels. The language is so broad, that your car could shut down simply from swerving to miss something in the road or misreading a new driver’s practice as “impaired driving.” If a car is disabled because of this feature, it could become a hazard on the highway or leave someone stranded in poor conditions. Once these devices are mandated in all cars, the expense will be borne by consumers, not the federal government or the manufacturer. All of these problematic issues have not been addressed, yet the DOT is beginning the process of mandating every new car be equipped with such technology.
You can make your voice heard as the DOT begins the process of drafting a kill switch rule by submitting a comment. We have provided you a sample comment, but recommend you take the following talking points to draft your own submission. When a comment differs from others, the DOT must read and respond to each individual comment.
Submit your comments before March 5th to let them know that you oppose this regulation.
