I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4890 

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 19, 2010 

Mr. EHLERS (for himself and Mr. SARBANES) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

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 2010’’ or the ‘‘ROADS SAFE Act of 

7 2010’’. 


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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 2008, there were 11,773 alcohol-im7 paired driving fatalities. 

8 (3) An estimated 9,000 road traffic deaths 

9 could be prevented every year if alcohol detection 

10 technologies were more widely used to prevent alco11 hol-impaired drivers from operating their vehicles. 

12 (4) The National Highway Traffic Safety Ad13 ministration has partnered with automobile manu14 facturers to develop alcohol detection technologies 

15 that could be installed in vehicles to prevent drunk 

16 driving. 

17 (5) Alcohol detection technologies will not be 

18 widely accepted by the public unless they are mod19 erately priced, absolutely reliable, and set at a level 

20 that would not prevent a driver whose blood alcohol 

21 content is less than the legal limit from operating a 

22 vehicle. 

23 SEC. 3. DRIVER ALCOHOL DETECTION SYSTEM FOR SAFETY 

24 RESEARCH. 

25 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na26 tional Highway Traffic Safety Administration shall carry 


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1 out a collaborative research effort to continue to explore 

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

3 policy challenges associated with, more widespread deploy4 ment of in-vehicle technology to prevent alcohol-impaired 

5 driving. 

6 (b) REPORTS.—The Administrator shall submit a re7 port annually to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

8 and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 

9 Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep10 resentatives— 

11 (1) describing progress in carrying out the col12 laborative research effort; and 

13 (2) including an accounting for the use of Fed14 eral funds obligated or expended in carrying out that 

15 effort. 

16 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

17 In this Act, the following definitions apply: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

24 means a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent 

25 or greater (as specified by section 163 of title 23, 


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1 United States Code) or such other percentage limita2 tion as may be established by applicable Federal, 

3 State, or local law. 

4 SEC. 5. APPLICATION WITH OTHER LAWS. 

5 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to modify or 

6 otherwise affect any Federal, State, or local government 

7 law, civil or criminal, with respect to the operation of a 

8 motor vehicle. 

9 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro11 priated out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the 

12 Mass Transit Account) $12,000,000 for each of fiscal 

13 years 2011 through 2015 to carry out the collaborative 

14 research effort under section 3(a). 

15 (b) APPLICABILITY OF TITLE 23.—Funds made 

16 available under subsection (a) shall be available for obliga17 tion and administered in the same manner as if the funds 

18 were apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23, United 

19 States Code, except that the Federal share payable on ac20 count of a project or activity carried out using the funds 

21 shall be 100 percent. 

Æ 


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