WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, D-NM, today responded to a National Survey of Drinking and Driving Attitudes and Behaviors released by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showing that one-in-five Americans age 16 and over drove a car within two hours of drinking alcohol over a one year period and nearly one-third of them admitted they thought they were over the legal limit.
Based on this survey, NHTSA estimates that 8 percent of all drivers, or 17.2 million people, have driven when they thought they were drunk during a one year period.
The study found public awareness campaigns and stiff DWI penalties have been more successful in making more people aware of the dangers of drunk driving. Four-in-five people surveyed find drinking and driving to be a major safety threat to themselves and their families.
"This troubling survey shows that although drunk driving is completely preventable and viewed as a major safety threat, many Americans continue to risk their lives and the lives of others at an alarming rate," said Udall. "I have been a longtime supporter of legislation and programs that aim to reduce drunk driving and I will continue to work to make it a problem of the past."
Participants in the study were also asked what would be the most effective way of preventing drunk driving and 63 percent responded that having a device in vehicles to prevent a driver from drunk driving was regarded as "very effective."
Earlier this year Udall introduced the Research of Alcohol Detection Systems for Stopping Alcohol-related Fatalities Everywhere, or ROADS SAFE, Act, with Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) that would authorize $12 million in annual funding for five years for NHTSA's 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.
Udall's ROADS SAFE Act is supported by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD); 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.
Earlier this summer Udall met with Chuck Hurley, the recently retired CEO of MADD, to discuss New Mexico's success decreasing drunk driving and the benefits of the ROADS SAFE Act. To watch video of that interview, click here .
In 2008 alone, drunk driving killed 11,773 people nationwide, including 143 in New Mexico. If such technology were widely deployed in cars, experts believe an estimated 8,000 lives could be saved every year.
