Luján Speaks at MADD Candlelight Vigil, Urges NHTSA to Quickly Implement Life-Saving Traffic Safety Provisions

Washington, D.C. - On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, joined Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for a candlelight vigil to honor the lives of victims of drunk driving on the National Mall. Luján, who survived a head-on collision with a drunk driver 30 years ago, gave remarks at the vigil to reaffirm his commitment to ending drunk driving deaths and offer prayers for the victims of drunk driving. Luján was joined by victims, survivors, advocates, and lawmakers, in a unified call for swift action from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to finalize the implementation of the HALT/RIDE Act. Luján championed this legislation in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was signed into law three years ago this month.

"Each year, far too many lives are taken from us too soon on our nation's roadways to drunk driving," said Senator Luján. "I was honored to join Mothers Against Drunk Driving to remember the victims of drunk driving and reaffirm my commitment to reduce the number of deaths on our roadways to zero. I am proud to have championed the HALT/RIDE Act, legislation that implements life-saving technology to prevent thousands of deaths each year. I urge the Department of Transportation to get this done immediately, and for industry partners to step up and be part of the solution. I remain committed to working with my colleagues to end unnecessary deaths by drunk driving once and for all."

Although USDOT missed the Congressional deadline of November 15, 2024 to issue this vital standard, the event underscored the pressing need for immediate action to fulfill the HALT/RIDE Act. Drunk driving fatalities have increased by 33% since 2019, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Luján is a longtime advocate of comprehensive safety measures to save lives and keep our roadways safe. In 2021, Luján championed the HALT/RIDE Act, which was included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and implements drunk and impaired driving measures to prevent drunk driving and help save thousands of lives each year. In March 2024, Luján called on the U.S. Department of Transportation to swiftly move forward with its rulemaking process to implement the HALT/RIDE Act and in April 2024, Luján joined colleagues in a letter to NHTSA calling for action to address the safety concerns of partially automated and fully automated driving systems.

Today, Luján joined Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) in a letter to Sophie Shulman, the Deputy Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), urging a swift implementation of life-saving traffic safety provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

The lawmakers wrote, "The IIJA included numerous provisions designed to hit the brakes on the nation's traffic safety crisis by addressing alcohol-impaired driving, seatbelt nonuse, and distracted driving. The law also required NHTSA to advance standards related to vehicle design and operation, such as crash avoidance technologies, bumper and hood size, and automatic engine shutoff. As NHTSA has implemented these safety provisions, roadway deaths have fallen by more than 5%."

The lawmakers continued, "Although this progress is encouraging, NHTSA has more work to do. The agency must still finalize some of its proposed rules and has not yet issued rules for many provisions - rules that are already overdue or nearing their statutory deadline. These statutorily required provisions are critical to maintaining our progress in reducing roadway deaths."

Led by Senator Markey (D-Mass.), other cosigners on the letter include Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

Read the full letter here.

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