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The November 2021 signing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by the administration is lauded by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as the most significant potential lifesaving legislation in the 41-year history of MADD. MADD National President Alex Otte thanked Senator Ben Ray Luján for leading the efforts in the Senate to pass a law that requires technology in all new cars to help prevent drunk driving.

Preliminary NHTSA estimates for 2020 show alcohol-related deaths spiked by 9 percent compared to 2019, even as vehicle miles traveled plummeted by more than 430 billion miles. The Advanced Impaired Driving Technology section of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act initiates a rulemaking by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to set a new safety standard. It is estimated that more than 9,400 lives could be saved annually, according to a 2020 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when it is fully implemented.

In October 2021, the NHTSA reported an estimated 20,160 people died on our roads in the first half of 2021.  This is an increase of 18.4 percent. The increase is reported to be largely due to impaired driving that is the leading cause of traffic deaths and injuries, followed by speeding and not wearing seatbelts.

The NHTSA is directed by the legislation to initiate a rulemaking process and set a final standard within three years for impaired driving safety equipment on all new vehicles. The technologies the NHTSA may evaluate, according to MADD, include:

“Driving performance monitoring systems that monitor the vehicle movement using cameras and sensors that are outside the vehicle, such as lane departure warning and attention assist.

Systems that monitor the driver’s head and eyes, typically using a camera or other sensors that are inside the vehicle.

Alcohol detection systems that use sensors to determine whether a driver is drunk and then prevent the vehicle from moving.”

After the safety standard is final, vehicle manufacturers will have two to three years to implement the standard. This could mean that new cars equipped with the NHTSA-directed technology could start rolling off the assembly line in 2026-2027.

Impaired driving accidents are devastating to everyone. Our Fort Myers DUI Accident Lawyer Randall Spivey represents clients who are injured in drunk driving crashes obtain the compensation they deserve under Florida law. If the accident is the cause of the negligence of another, clients may be able to recover damages for such things as:

• Past, present, and future medical expenses
• Prescription medications
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma
• Loss of companionship, consortium, and the enjoyment of life

“Our firm provides personal contact and communication along with aggressive representation. Here are just a few of the many settlements and verdicts Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. has received for our clients. Every case is unique. Therefore, the results in one case do not necessarily indicate the value of another case.

• A record jury verdict was awarded to a Naples car accident victim who suffered serious back injuries because of a crash caused by a drunk driver who crossed the center line and struck her vehicle.
• A jury verdict for a car accident victim who received fractures to his hip, pelvis, and both feet because of a negligent drunk driver in Collier County.
• A settlement for a motorcycle accident victim who received vision loss and other injuries when a drunk driver crossed the center line and pulled out in the path of his motorcycle in Port Charlotte.

For more information on our settlements and verdicts, please go to Case Results,” said Attorney Randall Spivey.

Should you or a loved one be injured in an accident please contact Attorney Randall Spivey at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. at 239.337.7483 or toll-free at 1.888.477.4839.