Author:  R. Alan Harrop,Ph.D.

Beware of good intentions! This is a warning that should be heeded by our elected officials as well as we the citizens of this great country. Many new programs and government directives may intend to solve a problem or even protect the people. However, in the case of the subject of this article the government takes onto itself a potential power over the people which we, the people, would never have agreed to if given the choice.

In 2021, the Democrat controlled Senate added an amendment to an massive Infrastructure bill that funded highway and bridge construction. The amendment, Section 24220, required all automobiles manufactured in the United States beginning in 2026/2027 to contain a monitoring system that was designed to test the functioning of a driver before or even after the person’s vehicle was started and driven. The system is to consist of cameras, sensors, and electronics designed to observe the driver’s eye motions, braking and steering functioning. An algorithm in the vehicle computer will then determine whether the person is fit to drive. I will bet that none of you knew that such a requirement is now required. I sure did not. Apparently, it was put in the large infrastructure bill at the last moment, generally unknown to the public, and not covered by the media that I know of.

Now, if you believe and trust that the federal government and their bureaucrats can be relied upon to never exceed the original intention of such a regulation, then you are living in a dream world. There are numerous instances of regulations being expanded and misused as I am sure you are aware. This reminds me, like many other things done by the Marxist Democrats, of the warnings of George Orwell in his book 1984, where the government increasingly monitors citizens and arrests them when they try to avoid government scrutiny systems. By the way, the estimated additional cost to a new vehicle is over $2,000. Not only is this a clear violation to our right to privacy and personal freedom, but it provides a mechanism by which the government could implement a system in the future where they can control you use of your vehicle whenever they choose. They can already track your location, speed, etc. using GPS technology. Another example, perhaps not quite so draconian, is already in place on diesel vehicles. I own a 2016 Ram 2500 diesel truck that I primarily use for towing an RV. It has a built in Diesel Exhaust System that if not functioning properly will slow the truck down to a maximum of 5MPH if the error in the system is not corrected within 150 miles of the warning light appearing. This happened to me recently, and cost me $3300 for repairs. Interestingly, my local mechanic was not able to repair the system because the required parts were only available through a dealership. No one told me about this infringement on my rights when I purchased the truck.

A couple of efforts have been initiated by few Republican congressman to repeal this regulation. One is HR1137-No Kill Switches in Cars Act that was originally filed by Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. Representative Chip Roy of Texas has also been active in trying to have the kill switches removed. Sadly, not all Republicans have supported their efforts. I strongly suggest that you contact your congressional representative and let him know what your position is on kill switches. Remember, the road to totalitarian control is a gradual erosion of your rights and freedoms, often masked by some seemingly positive goal. Trusting government to do what they say is always a bad idea as we saw with the Covid lockdowns and mandatory vaccines.