Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to sensing interactions of a passenger with components within a vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes acquiring, from a radar of a vehicle, radar data about a passenger cabin of the vehicle. The method includes determining a current state of the passenger cabin according to the radar data. The method includes, responsive to identifying that the current state indicates that a passenger satisfies a threshold in relation to an unpermitted action, generating a response that counters the unpermitted action.