Washington, D.C. – Following the passage of the Reduce Impaired Driving for Everyone (RIDE) Act through the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) met virtually with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) advocates from across the nation and New Mexico. Senator Luján, with the co-sponsorship of Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), secured the inclusion of the RIDE Act in the Commerce-passed Surface Transportation Investment Act.
The RIDE Act would promote the development of advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology and require auto manufacturers to implement this technology in new car models. In a July 2020 study, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that more than 9,400 drunk driving deaths could be prevented each year if drunk driving prevention technology is made standard on every new vehicle.
“What I’ve learned from Mothers Against Drunk Driving is that our personal stories are our power, and I’m grateful for their voices in helping advance the RIDE Act through the Senate. Drunk driving has devastated too many families, and it’s time to make the RIDE Act a reality to keep our roads safe and prevent needless deaths,” said Luján. “It’s time for auto-manufacturers to deploy drunk driving prevention technologies – technologies that already exist – just as they’ve done with seatbelts and airbags to save thousands of lives each year.”
Information from the office of U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.)