'I wanted my son to recognize me from heaven.' Wading River mother helps promote car tech to prevent drunk driving accidents

One example of the technology is infrared cameras that make sure a driver is watching the road. It looks for signs of drowsiness, loss of consciousness or impairment.

News 12 Staff

Nov 20, 2021, 2:05 AM

Updated 1,119 days ago

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Three years ago, a boy scout from Long Island lost his life to an alleged drunk driver. Now, his mother is fighting for new technology that could save lives.
Alisa McMorris's only son, Andrew McMorris, was killed in 2018 while hiking with his Boy Scout troop.
McMorris and members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving worked with federal legislators to get drunk driving prevention technology installed in all vehicles.
"I had to do something with this because I wanted my son to recognize me from heaven," McMorris says. "He would know his mom was fighting for something to make a change."
Part of that change came when President Joe Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law, including a mandate for automakers to install monitoring systems to stop drunk drivers in all new vehicles as early as 2026.
One example of the technology is infrared cameras that make sure a driver is watching the road. It looks for signs of drowsiness, loss of consciousness or impairment.
If signs are detected, the cars will slow down and pull to the side of the road.
Around 10,000 people are killed due to alcohol-related crashes in the United States every year, according to federal statistics.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving says the technology mandate is huge.
"It does speak to fatigue, distraction and any issue that a driver may encounter while operating a vehicle that could potentially take a life," says Stephanie Manning, chief government affairs officer for the group.
McMorris was at the White House to witness the signing of the measure.
The Wading River mother says the victory was bittersweet.
"Things are still very dark for me but this is the first time I can see a little light at the end of that tunnel," McMorris says.