As part of Impaired Driving Prevention Month, Sobering Up is taking a look back at the year’s Top 12 Newsmakers in the fight against alcohol-involved crime and Impaired Driving. This post is Part 6 of 12.
A piece of legislation that had bipartisan support in 2012 was the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), which was signed into law on July 6th by President Obama and took effect on October 1st. MAP-21 provides funding for federal highway and transportation programs for FY2013 and 2014, and is particularly focused on improving highway safety. Grants will be awarded that support states’ efforts to address national priorities for reducing highway deaths and injuries by using methods such as the passage of distracted driver laws, programs to increase seatbelt use, and improvement in impaired driving countermeasures–the reason MAP-21 is one of our 12 of 2012.
MAP-21 and the Fight Against Impaired Driving
In particular, MAP-21 addresses the requirement for states to have open container laws on their books, minimum penalties established for multiple DUI offenders, and a comprehensive highway safety plan in place that includes programs to reduce the number of injuries and deaths caused by impaired drivers.
The law also emphasizes the use of technology and proven programs in the fight against impaired driving. States will be allowed to use grant money to fund improvements to BAC testing and reporting, 24/7 sobriety programs that use Continuous Alcohol Monitoring devices, and DUI courts. States that adopt and enforce a mandatory alcohol-ignition interlock law for all individuals convicted of DUI can be awarded grant monies above and beyond what all states are eligible to receive.
Additionally, research on a new technology called Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety, or DADSS, will continue after receiving approval under MAP-21. The research is meant to study options for a non-invasive, in-vehicle technology that can be installed in any vehicle in order to prevent impaired driving.
MAP-21 Funding
Unfortunately, sequestration cuts have been a key topic for this groundbreaking law. The funding for many MAP-21 programs comes from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) in the form of the tax that is collected on every gallon of gas that is sold in the U.S. The trust fund is not included in sequestration; however, due to a slowdown in the number of miles travelled in the U.S. and an increase in the fuel economy of most vehicles, tax revenues are down. The HTF has required general fund transfers in recent years to stay solvent, and $471 million in budgeted general fund transfers to the HTF is on the chopping block. If those funds are cut, it will dramatically speed up the date at which the HTF is no longer able to support annual funding levels.
Passage of MAP-21 has increased the odds in favor of states in their fight against drunk driving, but a robust and reliable source of funding will be needed to win the battle in the long-term.
