Bill > S510

This bill, known as the Research of Alcohol Detection Systems for Stopping Alcohol-related Fatalities Everywhere Act of 2011 or the ROADS SAFE Act of 2011, directs the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a government agency responsible for vehicle safety, to conduct research on in-vehicle technology designed to prevent drunk driving. This research effort will explore how feasible it is to widely use such technology, what benefits it could offer, and what public policy issues might arise from its broader implementation. The bill also mandates that NHTSA submit an annual report detailing the progress of this research and how federal funds are being used, and it allocates $12 million annually for fiscal years 2012 through 2016 specifically for this research, provided that other related programs are also funded. Importantly, the bill defines "alcohol-impaired driving" as operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content (BAC) at or above the legal limit, which is set at 0.08 percent or greater, or any other limit established by law.