The requirement does not apply to all new vehicles right way, nor even after the NHTSA requirement goes into place, but between 2-3 years after that requirement.
And the requirement can be pushed back a few years if needed.
A safety interlock is not a kill switch.
The bill does not require a kill switch nor safety interlock! It says only "prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if an impairment is detected". The "or" is important.
From the risk paper I linked to earlier at https://www-esv.nhtsa.dot.gov/Proceedings/27/27ESV-000291.pd..., "Depending on the intended use of the
device, a range of outcomes might occur; the car could be prevented from being put in gear, could be limited to lower top speed using a “limp mode,” or the driver could simply be given a warning."
The first two of those would definitely "limit motor operation" as required by the law, but the middle is not meaningfully described as a kill switch.
The details of how it should work are yet to be decided.
And the requirement can be pushed back a few years if needed.
A safety interlock is not a kill switch.
The bill does not require a kill switch nor safety interlock! It says only "prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if an impairment is detected". The "or" is important.
From the risk paper I linked to earlier at https://www-esv.nhtsa.dot.gov/Proceedings/27/27ESV-000291.pd..., "Depending on the intended use of the device, a range of outcomes might occur; the car could be prevented from being put in gear, could be limited to lower top speed using a “limp mode,” or the driver could simply be given a warning."
The first two of those would definitely "limit motor operation" as required by the law, but the middle is not meaningfully described as a kill switch.
The details of how it should work are yet to be decided.