Senator Schumer Calls for More Funding for Technology to Stop Drunk Driving

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer of New York this week called for increased federal funding for technology designed to stop drunk driving. The technology, called Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS), prevents drivers with high blood-alcohol levels from starting a car.

“There is a technology that could pretty much put drunk driving, and drunk-driving deaths and injuries, to an end,” Schumer said. “It’s on the shelf. We have to perfect it so it’s usable in every car, and have it work.”

Schumer said he will co-sponsor a bill introduced by Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico to fund research and development of DADSS. The technology uses touch- and breath-based systems, according to The Wall Street Journal. The bill, the Research of Alcohol Detection Systems for Stopping Alcohol-Related Fatalities Everywhere Act, would authorize $48 million over six years for the existing DADSS program.

DADSS is being developed through a partnership between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, an industry group.

According to Schumer, the bill would not require use of DADSS for all drivers. “At the very least [the technology] would be optional to everyone, and all people who have any conviction of DWI or DUI would have to have it in their cars,” he said.

Schumer made his remarks in the wake of a recent DWI-related crash on Long Island, in which four young women died. “Use of sensible technology like DADSS could spare lives and families in the future. That’s why I’m putting my full weight behind this legislation and urging Congress to commit to making sure this technology is fully developed in due time. Increased funding will make sure the technology can fit into cars and be affordable for everyone to use,” Schumer said in a news release.