WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall today announced that legislation he and Republican Senator Bob Corker introduced earlier this year to develop new technologies that would reduce drunk driving crashes cleared a key hurdle in its path to Senate passage.
The bill, called the Research of Alcohol Detection Systems for Stopping Alcohol-related Fatalities Everywhere, or ROADS SAFE, Act , was incorporated into larger legislation that was then approved by the Senate Commerce Committee, of which Udall is a member.
The ROADS SAFE Act would authorize $12 million in annual funding for five years for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) program for the development of new in-vehicle technology to prevent individuals with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit from driving. If such technology were widely deployed in cars, experts believe an estimated 8,000 lives could be saved every year.
"Drunk driving is a completely preventable tragedy that destroys thousands of lives each year in the United States," Udall said. "I am proud of the leadership New Mexico has shown in keeping drunk drivers off the road. With this legislation, we continue working to keep Americans safe by encouraging the development of technology that could one day make drunk driving a thing of the past."
In 2008 alone, drunk driving killed 11,773 people nationwide, including 143 in New Mexico. It is estimated that 8,000 lives could be saved each year if all vehicles were equipped with advanced alcohol detection technology.
As New Mexico Attorney General from 1990-1998, Udall fought to reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road and has continued to champion the cause in the Senate. In December, Udall joined Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) in introducing legislation that would make states require the use of ignition interlock technology for all convicted drunk driving offenders. This legislation would make New Mexico's current DWI ignition interlock mandate the national standard.
Udall's ROADS SAFE Act is supported by Mothers Against Drunk Driving; the Century Council, an organization dedicated to fighting drunk driving; the Distilled Spirits Council, the national trade association of distillers; and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an association of 11 vehicle manufacturers.
The ROADS SAFE Act was one of two amendments proposed today by Udall to the larger Motor Vehicle Safety Act. The second proposal incorporated measures from legislation Udall introduced in April - called the Vehicle Event History Information Capturing Leads to Engineering (VEHICLE) Safety Improvements Act of 2010 - that would improve vehicle safety by requiring Event Data Records (EDRs) to be installed in most vehicles.
Udall's amendment would require NHTSA to complete a rulemaking hearing within three years of the bill's enactment that will require data recorders in all new vehicles for sale in the United States that are 10,001 pounds or greater, beginning with model year 2017. EDRs for vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less were included the underlying Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
In April, Udall participated in Commerce Committee hearings on the massive Toyota recall, which drew attention to event data recorders in personal vehicles.
