predicting increased risk of accident involvement or
hazardous driving by older high risk drivers.
(b) SPECIALIZED TRAINING FOR LICENSE EXAMIN-
ERS.—The Secretary shall encourage and conduct re-
search and demonstration activities to support the special-
ized training of license examiners or other certified exam-
iners to increase their knowledge and sensitivity to the
transportation needs and physical limitations of older driv-
ers, including knowledge of functional disabilities related
to driving, and to be cognizant of possible counter-
measures to deal with the challenges to safe driving that
may be associated with increasing age.
(c) COUNSELING PROCEDURES AND CONSULTATION
METHODS.—The Secretary shall encourage and conduct
research and disseminate information to support and en-
courage the development of appropriate counseling proce-
dures and consultation methods with relatives, physicians,
the traffic safety enforcement and the motor vehicle licens-
ing communities, and other concerned parties. Such proce-
dures and methods shall include the promotion of vol-
untary action by older high risk drivers to restrict or limit
their driving when medical or other conditions indicate
such action is advisable. The Secretary shall consult exten-
sively with the American Association of Retired Persons,
the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administra-
tors, the American Occupational Therapy Association, the
American Automobile Association, the Department of
Health and Human Services, the American Public Health
Association, and other interested parties in developing
educational materials on the interrelationship of the aging
process, driver safety, and the driver licensing process.
(d) ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION MEANS.—The
Secretary shall ensure that the agencies of the Depart-
ment of Transportation overseeing the various modes of
surface transportation coordinate their policies and pro-
grams to ensure that funds authorized under the Inter-
modal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991
(Public Law 102–240; 105 Stat. 1914) and implementing
Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Ap-
propriation Acts take into account the transportation
needs of older Americans by promoting alternative trans-
portation means whenever practical and feasible.
(e) STATE LICENSING PRACTICES.—The Secretary
shall encourage State licensing agencies to use restricted
licenses instead of canceling a license whenever such ac-
tion is appropriate and if the interests of public safety
would be served, and to closely monitor the driving per-
formance of older drivers with such licenses. The Sec-
retary shall encourage States to provide educational mate-
rials of benefit to older drivers and concerned family mem-
bers and physicians. The Secretary shall promote licensing
and relicensing programs in which the applicant appears
in person and shall promote the development and use of
cost effective screening processes and testing of physio-
logical, cognitive, and perception factors as appropriate
and necessary. Not less than one model State program
shall be evaluated in light of this subsection during each
of the fiscal years 1996 through 1998. Of the sums au-
thorized under subsection (i), $250,000 is authorized for
each such fiscal year for such evaluation.
(f) IMPROVEMENT OF MEDICAL SCREENING.—The
Secretary shall conduct research and other activities de-
signed to support and encourage the States to establish
and maintain medical review or advisory groups to work
with State licensing agencies to improve and provide cur-
rent information on the screening and licensing of older
drivers. The Secretary shall encourage the participation
of the public in these groups to ensure fairness and con-
cern for the safety and mobility needs of older drivers.
(g) INTELLIGENT VEHICLE-HIGHWAY SYSTEMS.—In
implementing the Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems
Act of 1991 (23 U.S.C. 307 note), the Secretary shall en-
sure that the National Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Sys-
tems Program devotes sufficient attention to the use of
intelligent vehicle-highway systems to aid older drivers in
safely performing driver functions. Federally-sponsored
research, development, and operational testing shall en-
sure the advancement of night vision improvement sys-
tems, technology to reduce the involvement of older drivers
in accidents occurring at intersections, and other tech-
nologies of particular benefit to older drivers.
(h) TECHNICAL EVALUATIONS UNDER INTERMODAL
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION EFFICIENCY ACT.—In con-
ducting the technical evaluations required under section
6055 of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency
Act of 1991 (Public Law 102–240; 105 Stat. 2192), the
Secretary shall ensure that the safety impacts on older
drivers are considered, with special attention being de-
voted to ensuring adequate and effective exchange of infor-
mation between the Department of Transportation and
older drivers or their representatives.
(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Of the
funds authorized under section 403 of title 23, United
States Code, $1,250,000 is authorized for each of the fis-
cal years 1995 through 1997 to support older driver pro-
grams described in subsections (a), (b), (c), (e), and (f).
Subtitle D—High Risk Drivers
SEC. 241. STUDY ON WAYS TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC RECORDS
OF ALL HIGH RISK DRIVERS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Within 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall complete a
study to determine whether additional or strengthened
Federal activities, authority, or regulatory actions are de-
sirable or necessary to improve or strengthen the driver
record and control systems of the States to identify high
risk drivers more rapidly and ensure prompt intervention
in the licensing of high risk drivers. The study, which shall
be based in part on analysis obtained from a request for
information published in the Federal Register, shall con-
sider steps necessary to ensure that State traffic record
systems are unambiguous, accurate, current, accessible,
complete, and (to the extent useful) uniform among the
States.
(b) SPECIFIC MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION.—Such
study shall at a minimum consider—
(1) whether specific legislative action is nec-
essary to improve State traffic record systems;
(2) the feasibility and practicality of further en-
couraging and establishing a uniform traffic ticket
citation and control system;
(3) the need for a uniform driver violation point
system to be adopted by the States;
(4) the need for all the States to participate in
the Driver License Reciprocity Program conducted
by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Ad-
ministrators;
(5) ways to encourage the States to cross-ref-
erence driver license files and motor vehicle files to
facilitate the identification of individuals who may
not be in compliance with driver licensing laws; and
(6) the feasibility of establishing a national pro-
gram that would limit each driver to one driver’s li-
cense from only one State at any time.
(c) EVALUATION OF NATIONAL INFORMATION SYS-
TEMS.—As part of the study required by this section, the
Secretary shall consider and evaluate the future of the na-
tional information systems that support driver licensing.
In particular, the Secretary shall examine whether the
Commercial Driver’s License Information System, the Na-
tional Driver Register, and the Driver License Reciprocity
program should be more closely linked or continue to exist
as separate information systems and which entities are
best suited to operate such systems effectively at the least
cost. The Secretary shall cooperate with the American As-
sociation of Motor Vehicle Administrators in carrying out
this evaluation.
SEC. 242. STATE PROGRAMS FOR HIGH RISK DRIVERS.
The Secretary shall encourage and promote State
driver evaluation, assistance, or control programs for high
risk drivers. These programs may include in-person license
reexaminations, driver education or training courses, li-
cense restrictions or suspensions, and other actions de-
signed to improve the operating performance of high risk
drivers.
Subtitle E—Funding
SEC. 251. FUNDING FOR 23 U.S.C. 410 PROGRAM.
In addition to any amount otherwise appropriated or
available for such use, there are authorized to be appro-
priated $15,000,000 for fiscal years 1995, 1996, and 1997
for the purpose of carrying out section 410 of title 23,
United States Code.
TITLE III—CORRECTION OF
LOCATION
SEC. 301.
The table contained in section 1107(b) of the Inter-
modal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 is
amended in item number 24, by adding at the end ‘‘and
for similar purposes eligible for funding under title 23,
United States Code, or under the Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act on any similar existing fa-
cility within a 150 mile radius of such project as selected
by the State of Pennsylvania.’’.
Passed the House of Representatives October 7,
1994.
Attest:
Clerk.
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5248
AN ACT
To require States to consider adopting mandatory,
comprehensive, Statewide one-call notification
systems to protect natural gas and hazardous liq-
uid pipelines and all other underground facilities
from being damaged by any excavations, and for
other purposes.