DMV INFORMATION

Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) August 13, 2005 -- In a victory for those seeking effective measures to stop drunk driving, President George W. Bush signed the $286 billion transportation bill on August 10, in a ceremony in Montgomery, Illinois. After languishing for nearly two years in Congress, the bill finally made its way to the President’s desk after last minute votes by the House and Senate on July 29, just hours before their August recesses. Included in the bill is incentive driven traffic safety language that encourages states to be more active in fighting drunk driving. ABL focused narrowly on the traffic safety provisions found in both the House and Senate versions of the legislation. The Senate version of the bill took on a disturbing nature to ABL when Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Mike DeWine (R-OH) inserted a mandate threatening states with the loss of 3 percent of federal highway construction funds- potentially billions of dollars- should they not make a series of alterations to their existing drunk driving laws. The "Lautenberg mandate" (as it came to be known) was so prescriptive that no state would have met all of its requirements--unless it passed new laws in the coming legislative session. Through grass roots activation of members in key states, ABL was able to demonstrate to the conferees that the “one-size-fits-all” Lautenberg mandate was an ill-suited approach to confronting the issue of drunk driving. Parts of the mandate would simply have been unworkable in many parts of the country and moving the goalposts would have served to make the jobs of state legislators that much more difficult. In the final frantic days before Congress’ August recess, their efforts paid off. It was decided in Conference Committee to keep the House language, thus continuing the use of reasonable and proven measures to fight drunk driving. “The outreach made by ABL members was tremendous,” said ABL Executive Director Harry Wiles. “ABL members recognized how damaging another federal mandate could be to their states and took action to oppose it.” One particular element of the Lautenberg mandate that galvanized ABL members was a provision to dramatically increase the use of ignition interlock devices. Ignition interlock technology is an unproven technology that studies have found leads to an increased overall crash risk by requiring drivers to “retest” (often by blowing into the device) while operating a moving vehicle. ABL recognizes that state legislators have traditionally acted with strong resolve to address drunk driving and hardcore drunk driving. The shape of this new law is a testament to the unity of ABL and willingness of ABL members to actively lobby their members of Congress. “I can’t express how proud I am of our folks,” said Wiles. “They showed up and put in the time and effort necessary for victory. This will undoubtedly boost their confidence for the next time they are called upon to make their voices heard.” About American Beverage Licensees (ABL) American Beverage Licensees (ABL) is the nation's largest trade association dedicated to representing the interests of “America's Beer, Wine and Spirits Retailers”. ABL represents nearly 20,000 bars, restaurants, taverns, and liquor stores, including off-premise licensees in the "open" or "license" states and on-premise proprietors in markets across the country. Today, ABL has members in 348 of the 435 Congressional Districts across the nation. For more information about ABL, please visit www.ablusa.org.