Rep. Thomas Massie has introduced an amendment seeking to defund a federal requirement that would mandate impairment detection systems in new vehicles sold in the United States beginning in 2026.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Rep. Thomas Massie said Wednesday that he has offered an amendment aimed at removing federal funding for a vehicle safety mandate that would require new cars sold in the United States to be equipped with impairment detection systems by 2026.
Massie announced the amendment on X, stating that it targets a provision of federal law that requires new passenger vehicles to include technology capable of detecting impaired driving and limiting vehicle operation. The mandate is contained in Section 24220 of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Under the provision, vehicles would be required to include “advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology.” According to reporting by CBT News, the technology under consideration by regulators could involve cameras that monitor driver eye movements, sensors that analyze driving behavior, or touch-based systems capable of estimating blood alcohol concentration. If the system determines a driver may be impaired, the vehicle could be prevented from starting or limited in operation.
Massie criticized the mandate in a statement accompanying his amendment. “The looming Orwellian automobile kill switch deadline threatens civil liberties,” he wrote. “When your car shuts down because it doesn’t approve of your driving, how will you appeal your roadside conviction? I’ve offered an amendment this week to defund this federal mandate.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not yet finalized the specific technical standards for the impairment detection systems, but the agency is tasked under the law with prescribing a federal motor vehicle safety standard implementing the requirement. CBT News reported that the mandate has raised concerns among critics about cost increases, privacy implications, and system reliability.
Supporters of Massie’s position have argued that any vehicle system capable of disabling operation based on detected impairment could also disable operation in cases of false positives, technical malfunctions, or potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
Separately, legislation has been introduced to repeal the requirement entirely. Rep. Scott Perry, with sponsorship from Rep. Michael McCaul, introduced H.R. 1137, known as the No Kill Switches in Cars Act. The bill would repeal the statutory requirement directing NHTSA to issue a safety standard mandating impairment detection technology in passenger vehicles.
According to the bill text published by Congress.gov, H.R. 1137 states that “there is no federal motor vehicle safety standard that requires the technology” and seeks to remove the mandate altogether. The legislation defines advanced impaired driving prevention technology as a passive system that either monitors driver performance or detects whether a driver’s blood alcohol concentration meets or exceeds 0.08 percent, and then prevents or limits vehicle operation if impairment is detected.
The most recent action on H.R. 1137 occurred in February 2025, when the measure was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In a statement supporting the repeal effort, McCaul said the requirement represented federal overreach. “The Biden administration and Congressional Democrats’ blatant overreach knows no bounds — from our schools to the gas stoves in our kitchens to our cars,” McCaul said in a press release. “We must stand up for the American people by protecting their privacy and ensuring their vehicles can never be arbitrarily disabled and shut down.”
The impairment detection mandate remains scheduled to take effect in 2026 unless Congress acts to defund or repeal the requirement or federal regulators revise its implementation.
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