[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3039 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3039

    To prevent drunk driving injuries and fatalities, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 25, 2010

  Mr. Udall of New Mexico (for himself and Mr. Corker) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To prevent drunk driving injuries and fatalities, 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 ``Research of Alcohol Detection 
Systems for Stopping Alcohol-related Fatalities Everywhere Act of 
2010'' or the ``ROADS SAFE Act of 2010''.

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-impaired 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 alcohol-impaired drivers from 
        operating their vehicles.
            (4) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has 
        partnered with automobile manufacturers 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 moderately 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 National Highway Traffic 
Safety Administration shall carry out a collaborative research effort 
under section 301 of title 49, United States Code, to continue to 
explore the feasibility and the potential benefits of, and the public 
policy challenges associated with, more widespread deployment of in-
vehicle technology to prevent alcohol-impaired driving.
    (b) Reports.--The Administrator shall submit a report annually to 
the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the 
House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce--
            (1) describing progress in carrying out the collaborative 
        research effort; and
            (2) including an accounting for the use of Federal funds 
        obligated or expended in carrying out that effort.

SEC. 4. DEFINTIONS.

    In this Act:
            (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, United States Code) or such other 
        percentage limitation 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 are authorized to be appropriated 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) Excess Funds.--Any amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection 
(a) that are not needed to carry out collaborative research under 
section 3(a) may be used by the Secretary of Transportation for highway 
safety research in accordance with section 301 of title 49, United 
States Code, and section 403 of title 23, United States Code.
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