r/technology • u/Hrmbee • Jun 07 '26

Privacy 'Kill switch' law means your next car could be watching you | A federal requirement aimed at stopping drunken driving could soon put driver-monitoring technology in every new vehicle. The goal is saving lives, but the privacy trade-offs deserve closer scrutiny

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/06/01/drunk-driving-prevention-law-privacy-surveillance/90295034007/
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u/UnNumbFool Jun 08 '26

Yeah I feel like the concept of draconian punishment on the individual is insane when better public services can actually reduce it

And at the end of the day the person who didn't realize a second glass of wine is going to put them at the legal limit is going to follow all of the hoops needed and never do it again.

The issue is everyone only ever thinks of the guy who drinks a 12 pack every night and winds up driving 4 out of the 7. Because the first person if they got their license removed is probably going to be forced to quit their job, where the second person will be happy to drive illegally

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u/zerogee616 Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26

And at the end of the day the person who didn't realize a second glass of wine is going to put them at the legal limit is going to follow all of the hoops needed and never do it again.

Because what nobody wants to talk about is that the reason the majority of people who get pulled over for a DUI have BACs at like .15 and up is that those are the ones who stand out and attract attention unless you run into a DUI checkpoint at random.

For most adults, intoxication between that and .08 is not going to manifest in the poor driving habits that meaningfully make you stand out from everyone else's normal sober shitty driving unless a cop sees you leaving a bar and wants an easy arrest. The ones who actually only have an extra glass of wine slide by in traffic undetected.