Rep. Kathleen Rice is calling on automakers to eventually install prototype anti-DWI technology in their cars.
Her proposed legislation would give car manufacturers 10 years to install technology that would prevent someone from starting a car if sensors determined they were drunk.
One type of the technology in development places sensors on the side of the steering wheel that drivers would touch to test their blood alcohol level. Other sensors could measure drunkenness through normal breathing, Rice says.
The legislation would also provide funding for research and development of such sensor technology.
In a news conference where she was flanked by anti-drunken driving advocates, she reminded automakers that while they make a lot of money selling cars, they should have a moral conscience as well.