[ti:US Congress Requires New Technology to Stop Drunken Driving] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]The United States Congress has created a new requirement [00:04.36]for carmakers: they must find a way [00:08.04]from keeping drunk people from driving cars. [00:12.48]It is just one of the rules included in the large increase [00:16.40]of new spending aimed at improving car safety. [00:21.20]Funding for the requirement is included in the $1-trillion infrastructure bill [00:27.04]that President Joe Biden is expected to sign into law. [00:32.60]The mandate requires carmakers to have systems built into new cars [00:37.76]as early as 2026 that help stop drunk drivers. [00:43.64]In total, about $17 billion is set to be given to road safety programs. [00:50.24]It is the biggest increase in such funding in many years, [00:54.92]says the Eno Center for Transportation. [00:59.32]Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg [01:02.72]says the money means more bike paths and greener spaces [01:07.32]could be built into busy roads. [01:11.24]"It's monumental," said Alex Otte. [01:14.76]She is president of the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving. [01:20.44]Otte added that the mandate would remove [01:23.28]the "number-one killer on America's roads." [01:27.48]Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [01:34.28]reported that an estimated 20,160 people [01:39.48]died in car crashes in the first half of 2021. [01:43.88]That is the highest first-half total since 2006. [01:48.20]The agency has said that fast driving, impaired driving [01:53.24]and not wearing seatbelts are reasons for the increase. [01:59.16]Each year, around 10,000 people in the United States [02:03.16]are killed because of alcohol-related car crashes. [02:07.24]That is almost 30 percent of all traffic deaths, the NHTSA says. [02:14.92]Currently, some people who were charged [02:17.44]with drunken driving in the past [02:19.68]must use a breathalyzer device in order to start their car. [02:24.72]A breathalyzer measures blood alcohol level. [02:28.60]The device can turn off a car [02:31.36]if the driver's blood alcohol level is too high. [02:36.12]The bill does not name a kind of technology, [02:39.04]only that it must "identify whether that driver may be impaired." [02:45.56]Sam Abuelsamid is with Guidehouse Insights, [02:49.84]a market research company. [02:52.20]He said the most likely system to prevent drunken driving [02:56.68]is infrared cameras that look for driver behavior. [03:01.32]The cameras make sure a driver is watching the road, [03:05.00]and they look for signs of sleepiness or impairment. [03:09.48]Such technology is already being used by some carmakers, [03:13.72]including General Motors, Nissan and BMW. [03:18.92]If the system sees any signs, the car will warn the driver. [03:23.68]If the behavior continues, the car will turn on warning lights, [03:28.44]slow down and move to the side of the road. [03:33.24]The bill also requires carmakers to create back-seat reminders [03:38.40]to tell parents if a child is left in the back seat. [03:43.48]Since 1990, about 1,000 children [03:46.96]have died from heat illness after being left in the car. [03:51.60]Congress has also ordered the NHTSA [03:55.52]to make new safety requirements for cars. [03:59.36]The new rules are meant to help avoid [04:02.32]deaths from collapsing front seats [04:04.76]and require automatic emergency brakes. [04:08.12]Many carmakers, however, [04:10.52]have already made those changes in their latest models. [04:16.00]I'm Dan Novak. [04:17.08]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM