(John Ransom, Headline USA) Buried in President Joe Biden’s infrastructure legislation is a requirement that new cars come with anti-drunk driving technology called a “kill switch” that will prevent operators from using the cars when impaired.
“Perhaps the worst part about the kill switch is that it would have a backdoor, allowing the police and other law enforcement agencies access,” according to Summit News.
“The speculation is that a warrant would not be needed to access the kill switch. The other problem with backdoors is that they are accessible to hackers.”
A piece of legislation that was quietly included in the infrastructure bill signed by Biden would give the U.S. government access to a ‘kill switch’ linked to law enforcement in all new vehicles from 2026.https://t.co/P7nzXcL5kn
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) January 17, 2022
In addition, it will make new cars more costly to manufacture as well as raising questions about liability and civil rights.
“The requirement is sure to put a costly burden on car manufacturers,” noted the New York Post, “not to mention the legal questions it will raise about whether manufacturers will now be responsible for drunk driving crashes in which a driver overrode the mandated technology.”
Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) hailed the passage of the bill as the beginning of the end for drunk driving in America.
“Today’s vote is monumental because it will virtually eliminate the No. 1 killer on America’s roads,” said MADD National President Alex Otte when the bill passed in the House.
Bankrate.com said that alcohol related traffic fatalities only make up around 28% of automotive related deaths, a rate which has been decreasing over time.
Critics worry about giving control over private autos to the government which may seek to expand their ability to shut off access to a working vehicle for other reasons at a later date.
“It’s not inconceivable that in the future such schemes could be linked to Chinese-style social credit score programs which punish people who express the ‘wrong’ opinions’ by limiting their access to their own vehicle,” reported Summit News.
Summit added that in the EU new cars are required starting this summer to have a black box accessible by authorities that records driving data.
