[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 99 (Friday, June 16, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1271]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HIGH RISK DRIVERS ACT OF 1995

                                 ______


                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 15, 1995

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about a matter of great 
importance to our Nation and especially to our youth.
  Many of us read every day about the tragedy that accompanies driving 
while intoxicated [DWI], speeding, foregoing seatbelts, and other risky 
behavior on the part of our Nation's young drivers. During the 103d 
Congress, I introduced legislation with the purpose of reducing these 
senseless tragedies. Today, I proudly reintroduced this important 
legislation, the High Risk Drivers Act of 1995, and hope my colleagues 
will join in this worthy effort by becoming a cosponsor.
  The High Risk Drivers Act of 1995 sets up an incentive grant program 
to encourage States to implement programs designed to improve the 
traffic safety performance of high risk drivers. To qualify for 
incentive grants, States would have to establish a provisional 
licensing system which mandates that a minor may not obtain a full 
license until the young driver has held a provisional license for more 
than a year with a perfect driving record.
  In addition, States would have to take a number of the following 
steps to qualify for a grant, including establishing a .02 blood 
alcohol content [BAC] maximum for minors; mandating seat belt use for 
all passengers in a motor vehicle; a use-and-lose provision which would 
cost any young driver his or her license for 6 months if convicted of 
purchasing or possessing alcohol; a youth-oriented traffic safety 
enforcement, education, and training program for State officials and 
young persons; a mandatory minimum penalty of $500 for selling alcohol 
to a minor; development of a procedure to ensure that traffic records, 
both instate and out-of-State, are available to the appropriate 
government officials; and a prohibition on open containers of alcohol 
in the passenger compartment of any vehicle on a public highway, except 
for chartered buses.
  In addition, a supplemental grant program would be available to 
States which took steps such as providing information to parents on the 
effect of traffic convictions on insurance rates and providing stricter 
penalties for speeding for drivers under the age of 21.
  As we all know, underage drinking and driving is an all-too-frequent 
deadly combination which we read about seemingly every day in our local 
newspapers. We must work together to help solve this problem, and the 
High Risk Drivers Act of 1995 will be an important step in this effort.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge each and every one of my colleagues here in the 
House to join as a cosponsor of the High Risk Drivers Act of 1995, and 
help to ensure passage of this important and needed legislation.

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