Today, auto insurance industry leaders sent a letter to members of Congress expressing support for the RIDE Act, which would mandate advanced drunk driving prevention technology in all new vehicles. The legislation by Senators Rick Scott (FL) and Tom Udall (NM) is similar to legislation passed by the House of Representatives in July, setting a deadline for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a rulemaking for advanced technology that would detect and prevent drunk driving. Read the text of the letter here: Letter from Auto Insurance Industry Members in Support of Legislation to Prevent Impaired Driving
MADD and traffic safety partner Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety applauded the auto insurance industry for their commitment to eliminate drunk driving:
MADD National President Helen Witty: 
“MADD is grateful that our partners in the auto insurance industry support this groundbreaking legislation. Mandating advanced drunk driving prevention technology in all passenger vehicles will save 9,400 lives a year, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. We are grateful to Senators Rick Scott (FL) and Tom Udall (NM) and Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ), Jan Schakowsky (IL) and Debbie Dingell (MI) for their leadership on this legislation that will lead us once and for all to a nation of No More Victims. We look forward to continuing to work with our champions in Congress and other partners to pass this vitally important legislation. We are thrilled that these respected, dedicated members from the auto insurance industry will be joining us in this fight to save lives.”
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety President Cathy Chase: 
“There are few actions that Congress could take right now that would save over 9,000 lives every year. Advancing the RIDE Act (S. 2604) is one of them. The scourge of impaired driving, which is responsible for nearly one-third of annual crash fatalities, continues to needlessly plague our roadways. Many in the auto and tech industries are focused on the shiny promise of autonomous vehicles eliminating roadway deaths. Yet on the path to that ultimate goal, thousands of lives could be saved, according to a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety thanks the auto insurance industry signatories of the letter for their safety leadership. We also commend the House for including this issue in the Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2) thanks to the stewardship of Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI), which was passed by a bipartisan majority on July 1, 2020. Additionally, we laud Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Tom Udall (D-NM) for sponsoring the RIDE Act and urge the Senate Commerce Committee to take immediate action to move it to the Senate Floor.”
Contact: Becky Iannotta, [email protected], 202.600.2032
