[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 25 (Thursday, February 25, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S797-S798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. UDALL, of New Mexico (for himself and Mr. Corker):
  S. 3039. A bill to prevent drunk driving injuries and fatalities, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the ROADS 
SAFE Act of 2010. I am pleased to be joined in introducing this 
legislation by my colleague, the Senator from Tennessee, Mr. Bob 
Corker.
  This legislation will encourage the development of new tools to fight 
drunk driving and has the potential to save 8,000 lives every year.
  Tragic drunk driving crashes often prompt communities to do more to 
prevent drunk driving. This was the case in my home State of New Mexico 
back in 1992, when a drunk driver killed a mother and her three girls 
on Christmas Eve. He was speeding down the highway 90 miles an hour, 
going the wrong way down an interstate highway. This crash helped 
change attitudes in my State. But it should not take a tragedy for us 
to do more to prevent drunk driving.
  In 2008, drunk driving killed about 12,000 Americans, including 143 
people in New Mexico. That is an average of 32 people killed every day 
by drunk driving. This unacceptable death toll is all the more shocking 
when you consider that each one of those deaths was preventable.
  The United States has already made significant progress. Compared to 
20 years ago, our roads are much safer today. Yet even as the overall 
number of people killed on our highways has

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declined, drunk driving still accounts for about one-third of all 
traffic fatalities.
  It is even more worrisome that a drunk driver has just a 2-percent 
chance of being caught. In fact, one study found that a first-time 
drunk driving offender has, on average, driven drunk 87 times before 
being arrested. Imagine, 87 times. This is unacceptable. Something must 
be done to prevent these drivers from getting on the road in the first 
place.
  The good news is, there are potential technologies out there that 
could do that. That is why Senator Corker and I are introducing the 
ROADS SAFE Act today. New safety technology has already transformed the 
automobile and saved countless lives. For example, airbags and antilock 
brakes are now standard features in many vehicles. These safety devices 
are built into the car and are unobtrusive to the driver. Such 
technologies are an important reason we have fewer traffic fatalities 
today.
  Imagine a future with vehicles that could detect whether a driver is 
drunk when he or she gets behind the wheel--before he or she even 
starts their vehicle. That would be no drunk driving crashes if it were 
impossible for drunk drivers to drive. If such technology were widely 
deployed in cars, an estimated 8,000 lives could be saved every year.
  I realize many may think this is a farfetched idea. Yet consider that 
vehicles today can already give driving directions, thanks to GPS 
satellite navigation devices. Some cars can even parallel park 
themselves. New Mexico and other States require convicted drunk drivers 
to use an ignition interlock, a breathalyzer device they blow into 
before their vehicle's engine will start. The success of ignition 
interlocks for preventing repeat drunk driving offenses suggests a 
better technology could be used to prevent all drunk driving.
  In 2006, Mothers Against Drunk Driving convened an international 
technology symposium in Albuquerque, NM. The goal of the meeting was to 
review efforts to develop advanced ignition interlocks technology.
  In 2008, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration partnered 
with leading automakers to explore the feasibility of in-vehicle 
technologies to prevent drunk driving. The recent progress of this 
cooperative effort fuels optimism that such technology could be 
deployed within 5 to 10 years.
  Clearly, such advanced technologies must win widespread public 
acceptance in order to be effective. They must be moderately priced, 
absolutely reliable, and unobtrusive to sober drivers.
  The aim is to stop drunk driving, not discourage responsible social 
drinking. A recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety poll found 
that 64 percent of Americans believe advanced alcohol detection 
technology is a good idea and that it is reliable.
  What would the ROADS SAFE Act do? This legislation would authorize 
$12 million in annual funding for 5 years for the Driver Alcohol 
Detection System for Safety Program, also known as DADSS.
  DADSS is a public-private partnership between NHTSA and the 
Automobile Coalition for Traffic Safety. The goal is to explore the 
feasibility, potential benefits, and public policy challenges 
associated with using in-
vehicle technology to prevent drunk driving.
  This increased Federal funding to combat drunk driving is a smart 
investment in public safety. Drunk driving has direct and indirect 
economic costs in terms of damaged property, medical bills, and lost 
productivity. In economic terms, drunk driving costs $129 billion per 
year. Of course, such monetary costs cannot be compared to the value of 
saving 8,000 lives every year.
  Several organizations dedicated to fighting drunk driving already 
support this bipartisan proposal. Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the 
Century Council, and the Distilled Spirits Council all support the 
ROADS SAFE Act.
  I urge my Senate colleagues to join me, Senator Corker, and these 
important organizations in the fight against drunk driving by 
supporting the ROADS SAFE Act. We have made much progress in our 
efforts to prevent drunk driving, but there is so much more to be done.
                                 ______