KILL-SWITCH UPDATE: 5 years later, error-prone tech could still strand sober drivers

Nearly five years ago, Congress ordered the federal government to develop technology that could prevent you from operating your vehicle if the car determines that you are impaired.

But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — the agency responsible for deciding how that technology must work — has yet to issue regulations. It hasn’t even formally proposed them.

As NHTSA itself noted, stopping a vehicle in a traffic lane could create ‘significant unintended consequences.’

And now the NHTSA has acknowledged the problem that should concern every driver: The technology isn’t reliable enough.

In a February report to Congress, NHTSA said current impaired-driving detection systems have yet to demonstrate the precision, speed, and reliability necessary for a federal mandate. The agency said current detection technology around the legal alcohol limit