Note: I originally published this article back in Dec 2023, but since the law takes effect this year (2026), I decided to republish it back to the top of the blog, in the hope that more people will see it and take notice.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie recently brought an Amendment to the floor of congress to defund the federally mandated automobile “kill switch”, which was slipped into the 1,000+ page Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by congress in 2021, and takes effect in 2026.
According to Massie:
“Section 24220 [Advanced impaired driving technology] of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requires all newly manufactured vehicles to be equipped with technology to monitor driver performance and prevent vehicle operation.”
Unfortunately, after hearing arguments from both sides—including Massie actually reading the law out loud, thus refuting the claims of those opposing his amendment by denying the law’s capability or intent—Massie’s amendment was ultimately voted down, including nay votes from 19 republicans (though with, as expected, near unanimous lock-step nay votes from the democrat congressmen…but to be fair, interestingly enough, Alexander Ocasio-Cortez did vote for the amendment, citing concerns about civil rights violations).
Watch as Massie reads the law to his fellow uninformed congressmen:
Massie also discussed his amendment on Laura Ingraham’s show The Ingraham Angle:
Also according to Car Coach Reports:
“This [law] mandates installation of equipment to listen to in-car noises and conversation, monitor eyes, and “kill switches” to automatically turn off your car. It states, all new cars in the United States will be required to install these kill switches by 2026. This section was passed allegedly to stop drunk drivers, but the law is very broad. The concern is that it may lead to government abuse of privacy, especially as the government wants more and more control over your car”
So, as usual, it’s not about safety as they pretend, it’s about control.
And, like all government programs, there is little to no chance of the law being expanded or abused (ha ha!). 😄
Now, it’s bad enough to think a driver might swerve to avoid ice or a critter dashing into the road, and the algorithm deciding “okay, that’s enough” and turns off the vehicle, regardless of location (dangerous part of town? Out in the middle of nowhere?), whether there are children in the vehicle, what adverse weather conditions there may be, or the importance of the driver’s travel or destination (going to work? Job interview? Catching a flight? Rushing someone to the hospital?). Doesn’t matter, the technology accrues enough flags to mindlessly shut the vehicle down.
But to think that, like always, the program could be expanded to enable authorities—local police, government agencies, politicians, etc. (perhaps even insurance companies)—to remotely disable the vehicle, not only for unusual driving, but for whatever reason they can conjure: suspicious financial transactions, posting something they don’t like on social media, attending a protest, voting for the wrong candidate…
And a side note: I also find it astonishing (well, not really, but you know what I mean) that aside from the very end of Massie’s defense statement, nowhere else in the discussion is even mention of the constitution, which I believe they all swore an oath to uphold upon taking office. This law is not merely a violation of our right to privacy and the 4th Amendment as Massie pointed out, and of the general right to travel freely, but I also ask further:
Exactly which article of the constitution authorizes the national government to regulate the automobile industry in the first place?
But I digress…
Anyway, I thought this was important enough (and alarming enough) that it should be shared far and wide…
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