I grew up in a Bay Area suburb where drunk driving accidents were the biggest threat teens faced. We were all lucky enough to come of age in a place where there was no war, little serious violence, and enough healthy food to go around. But anyone who grew up in my community knew a kid who didn’t make a turn, and we can all still point out the street poles that stopped cars and lives. Even in the age of Uber, when getting a ride is easier than ever, drunk driving is still a major cause of death. So while I worry about privacy invasions, I welcome the news that the National Transportation Safety Board is trying to draw a line between car and carcass by calling for an alcohol-impairment detection systems to be installed in all new cars.

+ This idea is a long way from becoming a law, but some car manufacturers are already building in systems that can protect drivers from themselves. Volvo’s EX90 electric SUV will have laser sensors and cameras that can detect drunk driving. “A lidar sensor mounted on the roof of the EX90 will aid the driver in avoiding exterior obstacles, while two cameras inside the vehicle will monitor the driver’s eye behavior to determine whether they are paying attention or even perhaps impaired.”