WASHINGTON - The U.S. Transportation Department said Tuesday it is launching a regulatory effort aimed at eventually mandating technology to prevent intoxicated drivers from starting vehicles.

Congress in 2021 directed U.S. regulators to mandate a passive technology to try to avert more than 10,000 deaths annually. The law requires USDOT to set a technology safety standard by November 2024. In 2021, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths - a 14% increase from 2020.

  - Reuters