No Kill Switches in Cars Act
Key claim: HR1137 would repeal the statutory requirement directing NHTSA to prescribe a federal motor vehicle safety standard mandating advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology in certain passenger vehicles.
Abstract
(HR1137 · 119th Congress) No Kill Switches in Cars Act This bill repeals a requirement that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration prescribe a federal motor vehicle safety standard that requires certain passenger vehicles to be equipped with advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology. Currently, there is no federal motor vehicle safety standard that requires the technology. In general, advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology is a passive system that (1) monitors a driver’s performance to identify driver impairment, or (2) accurately detects whether a driver’s blood alcohol concentration is equal to or greater than 0.08%. The system must also prevent or limit vehicle operation if the system determines the driver may be intoxicated or impaired. Latest action (2025-02-07): Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Why this matters
The bill targets a specific NHTSA rulemaking mandate for in-vehicle impaired-driving detection, so if enacted it would remove the legal basis for a forthcoming FMVSS that has been in development since the 2021 infrastructure law. The practical effect would be to preserve the status quo on passenger-vehicle driver monitoring and shift impaired-driving countermeasures back toward enforcement and voluntary technology rather than a federal equipment standard. As an introduced bill with no committee action yet, it signals policy contestation over the mandate rather than an imminent change.