Schumer, Monroe DWI Prosecutor, Drunk Driving Victim, RPD Chief Moore: Drunk Drivers Killed Almost 200 People in RFL Since 2004 - Schumer Legislation Will Help Develop Technology to Keep Drinkers Out of Cars and off the Roads

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer joined by Monroe County's DWI prosecutor, RPD Chief Moore, and a former Sheriff William Heitz who was hit by a drunk driver, announced that he is pushing legislation to foster research and development of in-car technology to fight the scourge of drunk driving. This legislation will create a consortium to drastically curb drunk driving by funding a partnership between anti-drunk driving advocates, large car companies and the federal government to design devices that prevent intoxicated people from getting behind the wheel.

During an appearance at the City of Rochester Police Department at Rochester Public Safety Building, Schumer said that drunk driving kills thousands of people across the country every year and hundreds of people in New York -- many of them teens -- but only 2% of drunk drivers are caught. Schumer was joined by RPD Chief Moore; Sandra Doorley, Monroe County First Assistant District Attorney; Perry Duckles, Monroe County District Attorney's Chief of DWI Bureau; Peggy Duffy, Monroe County Stop-DWI Coordinator; and former Sheriff Will Heitz. Heitz, when he was a sheriff for Monroe County, was hit by an intoxicated driver while on duty. In fact, he had just pulled over an intoxicated driver, when he was hit by the second driver. Following the incident, Heitz went to law school and has become a leading anti-drunk driving advocate.

"Drunk drivers kill hundreds of New Yorkers each year, and far too few are caught and far too many are repeat offenders," said Schumer. "It's time to take a more common sense approach to this problem, and stop drunk driving before it even starts, so that our teenagers are not given the opportunity to make the decision, and our families and law enforcement aren't put at risk by irresponsible drivers."

"While Monroe County is the number one large county in New York State in convicting DWI offenders, we are always looking for new tools in our efforts to keep drunk drivers off the road," said Monroe County District Attorney Mike Green. "I applaud Senator Schumer for his legislation that will help develop technology to keep intoxicated drivers off the road and keep our citizens safe."

The Research of Alcohol Detection Systems for Stopping Alcohol-related Fatalities Everywhere (ROADS SAFE) Act, would authorize $12 million in annual funding for five years for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) program to develop in-vehicle technology to prevent drunk driving. The funding would be provided through money that the federal government has already appropriated for road safety initiatives, therefore making the legislation revenue neutral and not adding to the deficit.

NHTSA and DADSS would use the funding to explore a variety of emerging technologies designed to reduce drunken driving crashes. Currently, some devices exist to stop drunk driving, but too often the devices can be manipulated to allow a drunk driver to get behind the wheel. The legislation would promote innovations that create a fail-safe device so that no drunk driver can start their car.

This new approach would bring together the government, non-profits and car companies to form a consortium. The consortium would be tasked with developing new technologies that would curb drunk driving in a way that protects Americans on the road and allows car manufacturers to produce high quality vehicles. Under the program, the technologies explored would include devices that determine a driver's blood alcohol level by touching the steering wheel or engine start button, as well as sensors that passively monitor a driver's breath or eye movements. If the sensors indicate that the driver's blood alcohol level is over the legal limit, the vehicle would not start- stopping a drunk driver before their vehicle gets on the road and endangers others.

Between 2004 and 2008 a total of 195 people were killed by intoxicated drivers in the Rochester-Finger Lakes region.

This legislation does not require this technology to be installed in any car, but it will give law enforcement and parents a new tool. For example, a judge could require a repeat offender to have a monitor installed in his or her car. A parent could purchase one of the steering wheels to be installed on the family car as they are teaching their teenager to drive or on a car they are sending off to college with a recent high school grad. The scourge of drunk driving in New York has continued to plague families and communities across the state. Currently, New York ranks in the top 10 in the country for alcohol related driving deaths. In 2008 alone, 472 fatalities in New York were caused by drivers that tested positive for alcohol, and 395 of those were above the legal limit.

Today, Schumer unveiled his legislation in Rochester along with law enforcement officials, victims of drunk driving and advocates for increased road safety. Since 2004, nearly 200 people in the Rochester area have died as a result of drunk driving. During his appearance, Schumer pointed to Sheriff William Heitz as a prime example of the scourge of drunk driving in New York. Mr. Heitz, formerly a Sheriff with Monroe County. was seriously injured when he was hit by a drunk driver- an accident that changed his life forever.

Schumer, said that this is a particularly important time of the year to raise awareness regarding drunk driving as prom season approaches. Each year, dozens of teens are killed in alcohol related incidents driving to or from prom. The bipartisan ROADS SAFE Act was sponsored by Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) and Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) and is supported by a wide range of organizations representing automakers and advocates for the prevention of drunk driving, including:

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

American Academy of Pediatrics

The Century Council

Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS)

General Motors

Governors Highway Safety Association

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)

National Safety Council

Nationwide Insurance

Safe Kids USA

Schumer added, "One person killed by a drunk driver is too many but the nearly 200 that have been killed in the Rochester-Finger Lakes Region since 2004 should be a wake up call- we've got a serious problem that needs to be dealt with and this legislation will be a positive step forward to doing just that."

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