[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
[March 3, 1998]
[Page 318]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 318]]


Memorandum on Standards To Prevent Drinking and Driving
March 3, 1998

Memorandum for the Secretary of Transportation

Subject: Standards to Prevent Drinking and Driving

    We have made progress in improving highway safety through a variety 
of innovative and aggressive initiatives, including our ``Buckle Up 
America'' campaign to increase safety belt usage and improve child 
passenger safety, and the formation of a ground-breaking public-private 
partnership on airbags. We have also taken important steps to reduce the 
deaths and injuries brought about by alcohol use and driving. In 
November 1995, I signed into law legislation to help ensure that States 
adopt ``Zero Alcohol Tolerance'' laws by October 1998 for young drivers. 
To date, 46 States and the District of Columbia have enacted such laws.
    However, drunk driving remains a serious highway safety problem. 
Over 40 percent of all motor vehicle deaths in 1996--17,126--were 
alcohol-related, and nearly 3,000 of these fatalities were young people 
under the age of 21. Moreover, alcohol-related automobile accidents cost 
our society $45 billion every year, not including the pain and suffering 
endured by the victims.
    We must do more to prevent the many tragic and unnecessary alcohol-
related deaths and injuries that occur on our Nation's roads. That is 
why my Administration has called on the Congress to pass legislation 
helping to ensure that a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 becomes the 
national legal limit. Research shows that, at a BAC level of .08, 
drivers are impaired with regard to critical driving tasks such as 
braking, steering, lane changing, and exercising good judgment. The risk 
of being involved in a crash increases substantially when drivers have a 
BAC level of .08 or above. In fact, the relative risk of a driver being 
killed in a single-vehicle crash at .08 BAC has been estimated to be at 
least 11 times higher than it is for drivers who have no alcohol in 
their system. Yet 33 States and the District of Columbia continue to use 
.10 BAC as the legal limit. It is estimated that if all States were to 
lower their limits to .08 BAC, there would be 600 fewer alcohol-related 
traffic deaths every year.
    I hope the Congress will enact legislation as soon as possible to 
help to ensure State passage of .08 BAC laws. Even before the Congress 
acts, however, we can take action to promote .08 BAC as the appropriate 
standard across the country, including on Federal property.
    I therefore direct you, working with appropriate Federal agencies, 
the Congress, the States, safety groups, and other concerned Americans, 
to report back to me within 45 days with a plan to promote the adoption 
of a .08 BAC legal limit. Among other things, the plan should consider:
       (1)  setting a .08 BAC standard on Federal property, including in 
            national parks and on Department of Defense installations, 
            and ensuring strong enforcement and publicity of this 
            standard;
       (2)  encouraging tribal governments to adopt, enforce, and 
            publicize a .08 BAC standard on highways in Indian Country 
            that are subject to their jurisdiction; and
       (3)  developing an educational campaign to help the public 
            understand the risks associated with combining alcohol 
            consumption and driving.

                                                      William J. Clinton