S-1331 : Still Just a Bill

Reduce Impaired Driving for Everyone Act of 2021 or the RIDE Act of 2021

This bill directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to prescribe through rulemaking a motor vehicle safety standard that requires newly manufactured passenger motor vehicles to be equipped with technology for detecting and preventing impaired and drunk driving. The technology must be capable of (1) passively and accurately detecting if a driver is impaired or has a blood alcohol level that exceeds the legal limit in the jurisdiction where the vehicle is located, and (2) preventing or limiting the vehicle's operation in response.

The NHTSA must issue the a final rule prescribing a vehicle safety standard within two years after the enactment of this bill. Further, the rule's compliance date must be not more than two model years after its effective date. However, the NHTSA may delay issuing the rule for up to three additional years if it determines the standard cannot meet the requirements set out in the bill. In the event of such a delay, the NHTSA must report annually to Congress about the reasons for not prescribing a safety standard and the anticipated time line for issuing the standard.