I 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4890 
To direct the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-
tration 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 re-
search effort to prevent drunk driving injuries and fatali-
ties, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Research of Alcohol 
Detection Systems for Stopping Alcohol-Related Fatalities 
Everywhere Act of 2010’’ or the ‘‘ROADS SAFE Act of 
2010’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities represent 
approximately 1⁄3 of all highway fatalities in the 
United States in a given year. 
(2) In 2008, there were 11,773 alcohol-im-
paired driving fatalities. 
(3) An estimated 9,000 road traffic deaths 
could be prevented every year if alcohol detection 
technologies were more widely used to prevent alco-
hol-impaired drivers from operating their vehicles. 
(4) The National Highway Traffic Safety Ad-
ministration has partnered with automobile manu-
facturers to develop alcohol detection technologies 
that could be installed in vehicles to prevent drunk 
driving. 
(5) Alcohol detection technologies will not be 
widely accepted by the public unless they are mod-
erately priced, absolutely reliable, and set at a level 
that would not prevent a driver whose blood alcohol 
content is less than the legal limit from operating a 
vehicle. 
SEC. 3. DRIVER ALCOHOL DETECTION SYSTEM FOR SAFETY 
RESEARCH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na-
tional Highway Traffic Safety Administration shall carry 
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out a collaborative research effort to continue to explore 
the feasibility and the potential benefits of, and the public 
policy challenges associated with, more widespread deploy-
ment of in-vehicle technology to prevent alcohol-impaired 
driving. 
(b) REPORTS.—The Administrator shall submit a re-
port annually to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep-
resentatives— 
(1) describing progress in carrying out the col-
laborative research effort; and 
(2) including an accounting for the use of Fed-
eral funds obligated or expended in carrying out that 
effort. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act, the following definitions apply: 
(1) ALCOHOL-IMPAIRED
DRIVING.—The term 
‘‘alcohol-impaired driving’’ means operation of a 
motor vehicle (as defined in section 30102(a)(6) of 
title 49, United States Code) by an individual whose 
blood alcohol content is at or above the legal limit. 
(2) LEGAL
LIMIT.—The term ‘‘legal limit’’ 
means a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent 
or greater (as specified by section 163 of title 23, 
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United States Code) or such other percentage limita-
tion as may be established by applicable Federal, 
State, or local law. 
SEC. 5. APPLICATION WITH OTHER LAWS. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to modify or 
otherwise affect any Federal, State, or local government 
law, civil or criminal, with respect to the operation of a 
motor vehicle. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the 
Mass Transit Account) $12,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2011 through 2015 to carry out the collaborative 
research effort under section 3(a). 
(b) APPLICABILITY
OF TITLE 23.—Funds made 
available under subsection (a) shall be available for obliga-
tion and administered in the same manner as if the funds 
were apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23, United 
States Code, except that the Federal share payable on ac-
count of a project or activity carried out using the funds 
shall be 100 percent. 
Æ 
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