Congress Mandates Breathalyzers for All Drivers – Possible Video Monitoring

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A law has been passed that will affect every person in the United States. It’s part of the infrastructure bill. The government often overreaches and is doing so in the case of drunk drivers -robbing people of their freedoms.

The 2021 Infrastructure and Jobs Act now requires all cars built after 2026 to implement systems to passively monitor the driver’s performance to detect drunk driving.

H.R. 3684 Section 24220 now requires all new cars built after 2026 to implement systems to passively monitor the driver’s performance to detect drunk driving.

It will constantly monitor breath inside the car. It might also include video to watch you all the time. The unconstitutional law allows it. There is a partial transcript below, or watch the clip or both.

Partial Transcript

It Can Take Control of Your Car

…”Now specifically, HR 33684, section 24/2220 tells us here that what they plan to do is that – I mean the Congress has already passed this – they’ve already put it into place; the infrastructure law will now require connected vehicles to collect and process data to detect impaired driving. It can monitor the driver’s behavior, and it can also affect steering. It can literally take over the control of the vehicle if the algorithm determines they think that you’re doing something improper.

This Has Already Begun

“So HR 33684, known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, includes these provisions related to drunk driving prevention, and these provisions that I’m going to talk to you about here today are going to be required new safety features in all cars, all vehicles, all trucks. And car manufacturers are taking steps here; I mean, they have no choice; they’re taking steps to be in compliance with the new federal law. And there are some companies such as Volvo and Ford who are already using some of these technologies and plan on having them in their car next year, 2024.

“Many of these technologies are going to be in there already, so now the problem is, does this sounds wonderful? Right, it’s a good thing to keep people from drinking and driving. The problem is you have to understand the implementation and you have to kind of peek behind the curtain to see the effects of what takes place.

It’s a Violation of the 4th Amendment

“OK, let’s take a look at this for a minute. So here’s what it says for connected vehicles to monitor drivers. There will be some form of technology that will require the collection of data while a driver is in the car’s interior. Here’s the issue, this now collides with what the law says under New York versus class 475 US 106 Supreme Court decision decided back in 1986. The court has said that the interior of a car is considered a place with a reasonable expectation of privacy under the 4th amendment to the United States Constitution.

“So the problem is we also know people, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t exactly feel very comfortable knowing that some algorithm or some monitoring device can take over my car whenever it wants to, and I don’t have any control over it.

They Will Collect All Data

“So the problem is when we look at this type of structure, one of the things you have to figure out is, we understand that according to this new bill, that the interior of the car is going to be monitored.  There’s going to be a data collection of everything that the driver is doing as they drive the vehicle, and so one of the things that we see, for example, a video recording of the interior, is going to be allowed to record certain things – racial or ethnic information – it will record the likeness of the driver and the passengers. It will, if the vehicle could monitor the speed limit of the road, it can provide precise geolocation.

“It’s also likely going to be able to monitor your speed. So it’s going to be able to tell if you were speeding at any certain period of time. This is all the stuff that’s…in the infrastructure bill that’s required now of car companies.

“Manufacturers are justifying this. They’re saying. OK, look we first of all, didn’t pass the law. They just have to be in compliance with the law but they’re not against it either. Many of the car companies are great but with this, because they said it will help to be able to enforce traffic laws.

It Eliminates Expectation of Privacy

“But one could argue that the collecting of this sensitive information could number one, it’s unnecessary. Are we having to collect all this information if we’re just trying to prevent drunk driving? But it invades your reasonable expectation of privacy by how you operate your car privately.

“So the collected data. Here’s where it gets really kind of like, you know, crazy minority report movie type stuff. Here’s where it gets a little crazy. The collected data could be misinterpreted by the algorithm. Suppose the vehicle monitors the driver’s behavior to identify drunk driving and stops the vehicle vehicle after what it believes to recognize as drunk driving behavior but then it determines later it wasn’t drunk driving behavior it was somebody with diabetes that had low blood sugar, and it made them appear to be drunk. [Or someone is] tired or sleepy or maybe it’s a sudden medical condition. I mean maybe the worst thing that could happen is to stop the vehicle and drop it in the middle of the road or yeah there’s lots of other questions we’re going to ask about this too.

Video Monitoring Too

“So one answer to this is I’m going to tell you. Here’s the answer to one of the proposed things that was debated in Congress — the infrastructure law would allow cars to be equipped with a breathalyzer and a video monitoring device to assure that the data collection is actually drunk driving. So now they can collect the data and watch you all the time, actually watch you on a video as part of it being built into the vehicle.

“This would reduce the chance of a driver’s behavior being caused by something other than alcohol. So it maybe would help not unnecessarily stop a vehicle but then it becomes even more complicated because now you’re talking about a passive breathalyzer. What if it picks up the alcohol content of a passenger in the car and it doesn’t pick it up of the driver.

“Now I know a lot of this new technology, they’re trying to create safe harbors. They’re trying to create ways to eliminate these but anytime you start introducing wholesale technology like this, making it mandatory on everybody you’re going to end up having a violation of people’s rights.”

CONCLUSION

This law must be addressed. It violates the Constitution. They can not only constantly monitor your breath and shut you car down in the middle of a road, they can, if they choose film you continuously. They will know where you are every moment and all the data will be collected and kept.

Imagine what an enormously big and expensive government agency they will need to keep track of all this. Imagine how they can abuse it.


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Manfred
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Manfred
9 months ago

All of these laws are contrary to the constitution. Nothing gives Congress the authority to mandate things to “keep us safe” – from ourselves! The nation is heading for destruction.

Tim Kuehl
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Tim Kuehl
9 months ago

My newest vehicle was built in 2010, the mandated data recorders were installed and my other vehicles are older than that. Every one of them will last until I’m south of dirt.

chewy
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chewy
9 months ago

I will drive my 89 YJ forever

Anonymous
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Anonymous
9 months ago

Considering most of congress takes a limo with private drivers lets get rid of the this perk and find out which ones are alcoholics. I have always thought that all of congress should be drug tested regularly and made to take a Breathalyzer before voting on any legislation.

Scotty Gunn
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Scotty Gunn
9 months ago

There is one company that makes this stuff, and they spend over a million lobbying Congress to get this inserted into the bill