[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 236 (Wednesday, December 9, 1998)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 67765-67766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-32894]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 236 / Wednesday, December 9, 1998 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 67765]]

                Proclamation 7155 of December 4, 1998

                
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention 
                Month, 1998

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                For most Americans, driving an automobile has become a 
                practical necessity. Whether in an urban, suburban, or 
                rural setting, the daily routine of modern life 
                requires that we have access to reliable and affordable 
                transportation from our homes to our offices, schools, 
                shopping, and elsewhere. But the right to drive a 
                vehicle brings with it the responsibility to drive 
                safely. A fundamental part of this responsibility is 
                the need to stay free from alcohol and drugs when 
                driving. Driving under the influence of alcohol or 
                mind-altering drugs can turn an automobile into a 
                lethal weapon.

                The Department of Transportation released some 
                encouraging data earlier this year regarding injuries 
                and fatalities caused by drunk or drugged drivers. The 
                number of Americans killed in alcohol-related crashes 
                last year dropped to an all-time low, representing a 
                decline of more than 30 percent since 1982. Drunk-
                driving deaths accounted for less than 40 percent of 
                all traffic deaths, and alcohol-related fatalities 
                among 15- to 20-year-olds dropped by 5 percent last 
                year alone. We have achieved this progress because of 
                stronger laws, tougher enforcement, and increased 
                public awareness. These statistics also reflect the 
                effectiveness of the legislation I fought for and 
                signed into law 3 years ago to help ensure zero 
                tolerance for underage drinking and driving.

                But there is more we must do. Last year, more than 
                16,000 Americans lost their lives to impaired driving, 
                and hundreds of thousands more were injured. Research 
                shows that the risk of being involved in a fatal car 
                crash is 11 times greater when drivers have a blood 
                alcohol content (BAC) exceeding .08. By passing a tough 
                national standard of impaired driving at .08 BAC--an 
                important measure I continue to challenge the Congress 
                to enact--we could save additional lives. At my 
                direction, the Secretary of Transportation developed a 
                plan to make .08 BAC the standard on Federal property, 
                such as national parks and military bases, and included 
                in his plan a strategy to raise public awareness of the 
                risks associated with drinking and driving. Federal 
                agencies currently are implementing the Secretary's 
                recommendations.

                In memory of the thousands who have lost their lives to 
                drunk and drugged drivers, I ask all motorists to 
                participate in ``National Lights on for Life Day'' on 
                Friday, December 18, 1998, by driving with vehicle 
                headlights illuminated. By doing so, we will call 
                attention to this critical national problem and remind 
                others on the road of the responsibility to drive free 
                of the influence of drugs and alcohol.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim December 1998 as National 
                Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month. I urge all 
                Americans who drive to take responsibility for 
                themselves, their loved ones, guests, and passengers; 
                to stop anyone under the influence of alcohol or mind-
                altering drugs from getting behind the wheel; and to 
                help teach our young people safe and alcohol- and drug-
                free driving behavior.

[[Page 67766]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-third.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 98-32894
Filed 12-08-98; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P