WASHINGTON D.C.: A $1 trillion infrastructure bill under debate by the U.S. Senate includes a provision mandating the installation in autos of a technology for preventing intoxicated drivers from starting their vehicles, in a bid to prevent more than 10,000 deaths per year.

For over 15 years, automakers and government agencies have researched technologies for preventing the roughly one-third of annual national traffic deaths involving impaired drivers.

This legislative effort has gained support from advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the auto insurance industry and some alcohol trade associations.

In its study, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) said alcohol-detection systems that prevent impaired driving could save over 9,000 lives annually, noting that U.S. police departments arrest some 1 million people per year for driving drunk.

Related deaths cost the country some $44 billion in economic harm and $210 billion in social costs, according to a 2010 study.

In 2019, lawmakers told Reuters that auto manufacturers could install touch devices on steering wheels and engine start buttons that can measure drivers' blood alcohol levels, or install sensors that can passively monitor drivers' breath or eye-movements.

The bill would require the U.S. Transportation Department to establish a technology safety standard within three years.

The bill does not specify the technology to be adopted but stressed it must passively monitor drivers' performances and accurately identify whether they are impaired.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and automakers have researched one system that samples a driver's breathing, while another technology measures blood alcohol level by shining an infrared light through the driver's fingertip.

However, questions remain about the accuracy of these technologies and their suitability for widespread adoption.