II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1703 

To direct the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to carry out a collaborative research effort to prevent drunk 

driving injuries and fatalities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 25, 2015 

Mr. UDALL introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To direct the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration to carry out a collaborative research effort to prevent drunk driving injuries and fatalities, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Research of Alcohol 

5 Detection Systems for Stopping Alcohol-Related Fatalities 

6 Everywhere Act of 2015’’ or the ‘‘ROADS SAFE Act of 

7 2015’’. 


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•S 1703 IS

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities represent 

approximately 1 4 ⁄3 of all highway fatalities in the 

5 United States in a given year. 

6 (2) In 2013, there were 10,336 alcohol-im7 paired driving fatalities in the United States. 

8 (3) The National Highway Traffic Safety Ad9 ministration has partnered with automobile manu10 facturers to develop alcohol detection technologies 

11 that could be installed in vehicles to prevent drunk 

12 driving. 

13 (4) An estimated 59,000 lives and 

14 $343,000,000,000 could be saved over a 15-year pe15 riod by the widespread installation of alcohol detec16 tion technologies in motor vehicles. 

17 (5) Alcohol detection technologies will not be 

18 widely accepted by the public unless they are— 

19 (A) moderately priced; 

20 (B) absolutely reliable; and 

21 (C) set at a level that would not prevent a 

22 driver whose blood alcohol content is less than 

23 the legal limit from operating a vehicle. 

24 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

25 In this Act: 


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•S 1703 IS

1 (1) ALCOHOL-IMPAIRED DRIVING.—The term 

2 ‘‘alcohol-impaired driving’’ means operation of a 

3 motor vehicle (as defined in section 30102(a)(6) of 

4 title 49, United States Code) by an individual whose 

5 blood alcohol content is at or above the legal limit. 

6 (2) LEGAL LIMIT.—The term ‘‘legal limit’’ 

7 means a blood alcohol concentration of— 

8 (A) 0.08 percent or greater (as specified in 

9 section 163(a) of title 23, United States Code); 

10 or 

11 (B) such other percentage limitation as 

12 may be established by applicable Federal, State, 

13 or local law. 

14 SEC. 4. DRIVER ALCOHOL DETECTION SYSTEM FOR SAFETY 

15 RESEARCH. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na17 tional Highway Traffic Safety Administration shall carry 

18 out a collaborative research effort to continue to explore 

19 the feasibility and the potential benefits of, and the public 

20 policy challenges associated with, more widespread deploy21 ment of in-vehicle technology to prevent alcohol-impaired 

22 driving. 

23 (b) REPORTS.—The Administrator shall submit an 

24 annual report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

25 and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 


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•S 1703 IS

1 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) describes the progress made by the National 

4 Highway Traffic Safety Administration in carrying 

5 out the collaborative research effort required under 

6 subsection (a); and 

7 (2) includes an accounting of the use of Federal 

8 funds obligated or expended in carrying out such ef9 fort. 

10 SEC. 5. APPLICATION WITH OTHER LAWS. 

11 Nothing in this Act may be construed to modify or 

12 otherwise affect any Federal, State, or local government 

13 law (whether civil or criminal) with respect to the oper14 ation of a motor vehicle. 

15 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro17 priated out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the 

18 Mass Transit Account), to carry out the collaborative re19 search effort described in section 4(a)— 

20 (1) $6,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2016 

21 and 2017; 

22 (2) $8,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2018 

23 and 2019; and 

24 (3) $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 

25 2020 and 2021. 


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•S 1703 IS

1 (b) APPLICABILITY OF TITLE 23.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para3 graph (2), amounts made available under subsection 

4 (a) shall be available for obligation and administered 

5 in the same manner as if the funds were apportioned 

6 under chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code. 

7 (2) EXCEPTION.—The Federal share payable 

8 for a project or activity carried out using amounts 

9 appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) shall be 100 

10 percent. 

Æ 


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