[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 163 (Wednesday, October 16, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5845-S5847]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. UDALL (for himself and Mr. Scott of Florida):
  S. 2604. A bill to require the Administrator of the National Highway 
Traffic

[[Page S5846]]

Safety Administration to work with vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, 
and other interested parties to advance the technology developed by the 
Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety Research Program, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation.
  Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:
  Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Reduce 
Impaired Driving for Everyone Act of 2019 or RIDE Act of 2019. I would 
like to thank my co-sponsor, Senator Rick Scott of Florida, who joins 
me on this important bill--a bill that will help end drunk driving and 
prevent thousands of fatalities and injuries across the nation.
  While we have made progress over the last several decades to reduce 
drunk driving on our roads, it is still a national tragedy. In 2017, 
the latest year for which we have statistics, the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration found that 10,874 person were killed on 
American roads by a drunk driver. That's one death every 48 minutes. 
And most tragically: every single one of those 10,874 deaths could have 
been prevented.
  Traffic fatalities due to drunk driving account for one-third of all 
such fatalities. Yet, drunk drivers have only a two percent chance of 
being caught. And one study found that the average drunk driver has 
driven drunk 87 times before being arrested. The RIDE Act aims to make 
sure these drivers do not hit the road in the first place.
  I'm not new to this fight. When I was Attorney General of New Mexico 
in the 1990's, our State had one of the highest DWI rates in the 
Nation. Then, on Christmas Eve in 1992, a drunk driver killed a mother 
and her three young daughters as he sped down the highway the wrong way 
going 90 miles per hour. That tragedy galvanized me and many others in 
our State. I worked to impose stronger penalties for repeat offenders, 
impose a lower legal limit for intoxication, and close drive-up liquor 
windows. Those efforts and the efforts of many others across New Mexico 
helped bring down the number of alcohol-related fatalities from 460 in 
1992 to 131 in 2017. But that's 131 too many. And so we have more work 
to do in New Mexico and across the Nation.
  I've worked many years to fund development of the Driver Alcohol 
Detection System for Safety or DADSS technology--technology that 
prevents drivers impaired above the legal limit from ever taking the 
wheel. When I first started advocating for this technology, it seemed 
far-fetched to some, out of reach. But, now--it's being road-tested and 
within our grasp.
  The RIDE Act builds on the $50 million dollars Congress has 
appropriated since 2008 by appropriating $5 million per year toward 
drunk driver detection technology during fiscal years 2021 and 2022. 
The bill will fund the technology transfer of this software to ready it 
for installation and testing in vehicles.
  At the same time the Federal government has moved to introduce this 
technology, some private automobile manufacturers are also developing 
technology of their own for installation in their vehicles. They are to 
be applauded.
  NHTSA and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, of which every 
major automobile manufacturer is a member, have engaged in a decade-
long public-private partnership to research, manufacture, and test 
equipment to make vehicles inoperable if alcohol is present in a 
person's breath. They are engaged now in calibration to ensure that a 
vehicle will be inoperable only if a driver is above the legal limit. 
NHTSA and ACTS are working with the states of Maryland and Virginia to 
test this technology. Real world testing is essential--which is why the 
RIDE Act will empower the Federal General Services Administration to 
incorporate anti-drunk driving software into its fleet on a pilot 
basis.
  Finally, the RIDE Act requires the NHTSA to promulgate rules to 
require installation of advanced drunk driving prevention technology in 
all new vehicles not later than two years after enactment of the bill. 
Automobile manufacturers will have two model years to comply with the 
rule. This means the RIDE Act sets out about a four year window to 
prevent drunk driving in all new vehicles. This tremendous goal is 
within reach.
  Again, I appreciate the support of my colleague, Senator Scott. The 
RIDE Act should have strong bipartisan support. Drunk drivers don't 
discriminate on the basis of political party. I urge all our colleagues 
to join us in this important fight against drunk driving and the 
devastation that it causes.

                                S. 2604

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Reduce Impaired Driving for 
     Everyone Act of 2019'' or the ``RIDE Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) alcohol-impaired driving fatalities represent 
     approximately \1/3\ of all highway fatalities in the United 
     States each year;
       (2) in 2017, there were 10,874 alcohol-impaired driving 
     fatalities in the United States involving drivers with a 
     blood alcohol concentration level of .08 or higher, and 68 
     percent of the crashes that resulted in those fatalities 
     involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration level of 
     .15 or higher;
       (3) the estimated economic cost for alcohol-impaired 
     driving in 2010 was $44,000,000,000;
       (4) the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has 
     partnered with automobile manufacturers to develop alcohol 
     detection technologies that could be installed in vehicles to 
     prevent drunk driving; and
       (5) the Federal Government has invested nearly $50,000,000 
     in advanced alcohol detection software, and companies are 
     actively pursuing solutions to the significant problem of 
     drunk driving.

     SEC. 3. ADVANCED DRUNK DRIVING PREVENTION TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
     Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety 
     Administration.
       (2) DADSS.--The term ``DADSS'' means the Driver Alcohol 
     Detection System for Safety Research Program carried out 
     through a public-private partnership between the National 
     Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Automotive 
     Coalition for Traffic Safety.
       (3) New vehicle.--The term ``new vehicle'' has the meaning 
     given the term in section 37.3 of title 49, Code of Federal 
     Regulations (or a successor regulation).
       (b) Technology Transfer and Vehicle Integration.--
       (1) In general.--During fiscal years 2021 and 2022, the 
     Administrator shall work directly with vehicle manufacturers, 
     suppliers, and other interested parties, including 
     institutions of higher education with expertise in automotive 
     engineering, to advance the technology developed by DADSS, 
     and other suitable advanced drunk driving prevention 
     technology, as determined by the Administrator, with the goal 
     of integrating the technology, at the earliest practicable 
     date, into new vehicles.
       (2) Funding.--Any amounts made available to carry out this 
     subsection under subsection (h)(1) shall be made available 
     for the purposes described in paragraph (1) pursuant to the 
     existing cooperative agreement entered into by the 
     Administrator and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety 
     to carry out DADSS.
       (c) Demonstration of Technology in Federal Fleets.--
       (1) In general.--Beginning in fiscal year 2021, the 
     Administrator shall work with the Administrator of General 
     Services to demonstrate advanced drunk driving prevention 
     technology in not fewer than 2,500 vehicles in Federal 
     fleets.
       (2) Requirements.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
     Administrator shall ensure that the fleet vehicles in which 
     advanced drunk driving prevention technology is 
     demonstrated--
       (A) are driven not less than 3 days per week;
       (B) are located in various regions in the United States; 
     and
       (C) collectively include not more than 3 make, model, and 
     model year combinations.
       (d) Pilot Deployment of Prototype Advanced Drunk Driving 
     Prevention Technology in Non-Federal Fleets.--
       (1) In general.--To assist in the development of, and to 
     aid the creation of market demand for, advanced drunk driving 
     prevention technology, the Administrator shall carry out a 
     program to encourage the use of advanced drunk driving 
     prevention technology in--
       (A) State and local government fleets; and
       (B) private sector fleets.
       (2) Funding.--
       (A) In general.--Out of any amounts made available to the 
     Administrator and not otherwise obligated, the Administrator 
     shall use such sums as are necessary to carry out paragraph 
     (1).
       (B) Existing program funding.--The Administrator may 
     continue to use, in accordance with existing guidelines for 
     the relevant fund, any Federal fund used by the Administrator 
     on the date of enactment of this Act to carry out an existing 
     program that satisfies the requirements of paragraph (1).

[[Page S5847]]

       (e) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the 
     Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, 
     Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee 
     on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a 
     report describing the progress of the Administrator in 
     carrying out subsections (c) and (d).
       (f) Stakeholder Team.--
       (1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish and 
     maintain a team, to be known as the ``Stakeholder Team'', to 
     provide input for the Administrator to consider on issues of 
     public policy, deployment, and State law relating to the 
     deployment of advanced drunk driving prevention technology in 
     motor vehicles.
       (2) Membership.--The Stakeholder Team shall be composed 
     of--
       (A) vehicle manufacturers;
       (B) suppliers;
       (C) safety advocates;
       (D) fleet administrators or managers; and
       (E) other interested parties with expertise in public 
     policy, marketing, or product release.
       (g) Rulemaking.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (3), not later than 2 
     years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Administrator shall issue a final rule prescribing a Federal 
     motor vehicle safety standard that requires advanced drunk 
     driving prevention technology in all new vehicles.
       (2) Requirements.--
       (A) Lead time.--The compliance date of the rule issued 
     under paragraph (1) shall be not more than 2 model years 
     after the effective date of that rule.
       (B) Technical capability.--Any advanced drunk driving 
     prevention technology required for new vehicles under 
     paragraph (1) that measures blood alcohol concentration shall 
     automatically use the legal limit for blood alcohol 
     concentration of the jurisdiction in which the vehicle is 
     located.
       (3) Timing.--If the Administrator determines that it is not 
     practicable to issue the rule described in paragraph (1) by 
     the applicable date, the Administrator--
       (A) may extend the time period for such time as the 
     Administrator determines to be necessary; and
       (B) shall, not later than the date described in paragraph 
     (1), and not less frequently than annually thereafter until 
     the date on which the rule under that paragraph is issued, 
     submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and 
     Commerce of the House of Representatives a report describing, 
     as of the date of submission of the report--
       (i) the reasons for not prescribing a Federal motor vehicle 
     safety standard that requires advanced drunk driving 
     prevention technology in all new vehicles;
       (ii) the deployment of advanced drunk driving prevention 
     technology in vehicles;
       (iii) any information regarding the ability of vehicle 
     manufacturers to include advanced drunk driving prevention 
     technology in new vehicles; and
       (iv) an anticipated timeline for prescribing the Federal 
     motor vehicle safety standard described in paragraph (1).
       (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated--
       (1) to carry out subsection (b), $5,000,000 for each of 
     fiscal years 2021 and 2022; and
       (2) to carry out subsection (c), $25,000,000 for the period 
     of fiscal years 2021 through 2022, to remain available until 
     expended.
                                 ______