RIDE Act of 2021
Bill: S.1331 | Sponsor: Sen. Lujan, Ben Ray (D-NM)
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Reduce Impaired Driving for Everyone Act of 2021 or the RIDE Act of 2021
This bill directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to prescribe through rulemaking a motor vehicle safety standard that requires newly manufactured passenger motor vehicles to be equipped with technology for detecting and preventing impaired and drunk driving. The technology must be capable of (1) passively and accurately detecting if a driver is impaired or has a blood alcohol level that exceeds the legal limit in the jurisdiction where the vehicle is located, and (2) preventing or limiting the vehicle's operation in response.

To require the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the 
Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to 
 prescribe a Federal motor vehicle safety standard for advanced drunk 
  and impaired driving prevention technology, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Reduce Impaired Driving for Everyone 
Act of 2021'' or the ``RIDE Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) alcohol-impaired driving fatalities represent 
        approximately \1/3\ of all highway fatalities in the United 
        States each year;
            (2) in 2019, there were 10,142 alcohol-impaired driving 
        fatalities in the United States involving drivers with a blood 
        alcohol concentration level of .08 or higher, and 68 percent of 
        the crashes that resulted in those fatalities involved a driver 
        with a blood alcohol concentration level of .15 or higher;
            (3) the estimated economic cost for alcohol-impaired 
        driving in 2010 was $44,000,000,000;
            (4) according to the Insurance Institute for Highway 
        Safety, advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention 
        technology can prevent more than 9,400 alcohol-impaired driving 
        fatalities annually; and
            (5) to ensure the prevention of alcohol-impaired driving 
        fatalities, advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention 
        technology must be standard equipment in all new passenger 
        motor vehicles.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention 
        technology.--The term ``advanced drunk and impaired driving 
        prevention technology'' means a system that can--
                    (A)(i) passively monitor the performance of a 
                driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify 
                whether that driver may be impaired; and
                    (ii) prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if an 
                impairment is detected; or
                    (B)(i) passively and accurately detect whether the 
                blood alcohol concentration of a driver of a motor 
                vehicle is above the legal limit for blood alcohol 
                concentration of the jurisdiction in which the vehicle 
                is located; and
                    (ii) prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if a 
                blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit is 
                detected.
            (2) New.--The term ``new'', with respect to a passenger 
        motor vehicle, means that the passenger motor vehicle--
                    (A) is a new vehicle (as defined in section 37.3 of 
                title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor 
                regulation)); and
                    (B) has not been purchased for purposes other than 
                resale.
            (3) Passenger motor vehicle.--The term ``passenger motor 
        vehicle'' has the meaning given the term in section 32101 of 
        title 49, United States Code.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Transportation, acting through the Administrator of the 
        National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

SEC. 4. ADVANCED DRUNK AND IMPAIRED DRIVING PREVENTION TECHNOLOGY 
              SAFETY STANDARD.

    (a) In General.--Subject to subsection (c) and not later than 2 
years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
issue a final rule prescribing a Federal motor vehicle safety standard 
under section 30111 of title 49, United States Code, that requires 
passenger motor vehicles manufactured after the effective date of that 
standard to be equipped with advanced drunk and impaired driving 
prevention technology.
    (b) Requirements.--
            (1) Lead time.--The compliance date of the rule issued 
        under subsection (a) shall be not more than 2 model years after 
        the effective date of that rule.
            (2) Technical capability.--Any advanced drunk and impaired 
        driving prevention technology required for new passenger motor 
        vehicles under subsection (a) that measures blood alcohol 
        concentration shall use the adult legal limit for blood alcohol 
        concentration of the jurisdiction in which the passenger motor 
        vehicle is located.
    (c) Timing.--If the Secretary determines that the Federal motor 
vehicle safety standard required under subsection (a) cannot meet the 
requirements and considerations described in subsections (a) and (b) of 
section 30111 of title 49, United States Code, by the applicable date, 
the Secretary--
            (1) may extend the time period to such date as the 
        Secretary determines to be necessary, but not later than the 
        date that is 3 years after the date described in subsection 
        (a); and
            (2) shall, not later than the date described in subsection 
        (a) and not less frequently than annually thereafter until the 
        date on which the rule under that subsection is issued, submit 
        to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
        the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
        House of Representatives a report describing, as of the date of 
        submission of the report--
                    (A) the reasons for not prescribing a Federal motor 
                vehicle safety standard under section 30111 of title 
                49, United States Code, that requires advanced drunk 
                and impaired driving prevention technology in all new 
                passenger motor vehicles;
                    (B) the deployment of advanced drunk and impaired 
                driving prevention technology in vehicles;
                    (C) any information relating to the ability of 
                vehicle manufacturers to include advanced drunk and 
                impaired driving prevention technology in new passenger 
                motor vehicles; and
                    (D) an anticipated timeline for prescribing the 
                Federal motor vehicle safety standard described in 
                subsection (a).
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