[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]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 236 / Wednesday, December 9, 1998 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
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