Gore Announces $71 Million in Incentive Grants to Deter Drunk Driving
4 September 1998
Vice President Gore Announces
$71 Million in Incentive Grants
To Deter Drunk Driving
Vice President Gore today announced incentive grants totaling
more than $71 million for states to help deter drinking and driving. The
grants will be awarded under provisions of the Transportation Equity Act
for the 21st Century (TEA-21), which President Clinton signed into law
June 9 and which authorized more than $700 million in federal grants to
states over the next six years to combat drunk driving.
"Safety is President Clinton's highest transportation priority,
and these grants are an important step toward preventing alcohol-related
traffic crashes," Vice President Gore said. "The states receiving these
funds are already working hard to combat drunk driving, and these grants
will help even more."
The grants are authorized by two different sections of TEA-21.
About $49 million will be awarded under the new "Section 163" program.
This section authorizes $500 million in federal grants to states over six
years as an incentive to enact and enforce laws that make it a drunk
driving offense per se to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) of .08 or greater. This supports the President's
effort to make .08 BAC the national standard for drunk driving.
"A strong message and tough state laws are bringing about an
important change in society's attitude toward drunk driving, but we must
continue our efforts to reduce the number of these crashes and the
tragedies associated with them," said U.S. Transportation Secretary
Rodney E. Slater.
Another $22 million in federal incentive grants will be awarded
under "Section 410." This program, which encourages states to enact and
enforce other programs that deter drunk driving, was expanded by TEA-21.
It authorizes $219.5 million, the highest level Section 410 has ever
received, to states over six years.
Fifteen states will be awarded incentive grants under the
"Section 163" program because they have enacted and are enforcing .08 BAC
per se laws. These states already have .08 BAC laws. Thirty-eight states
and the District of Columbia will be awarded incentive grants under
"Section 410" to adopt other programs to deter drinking and driving.
These 38 states include the 15 states receiving .08 BAC grants.
The states receiving both grants are Alabama, $2.7 million under
the .08 BAC provision plus $439,000 for other programs to deter drunk
driving; California, $14.9 million plus $3.1 million; Florida, $6.8
million plus $1.3 million; Hawaii, $775,000 plus $163,000; Idaho, $1
million plus $196,000; Illinois, $6.4 million plus $1.4 million; Kansas,
$2.4 million plus $336,000; Maine, $775,000 plus $127,000; New Hampshire,
$775,000 plus $182,000; New Mexico, $1.2 million plus $254,000; North
Carolina, $3.9 million plus $635,000; Oregon, $2 million plus $460,000;
Utah, $1.2 million plus $222,000; Vermont, $775,000 plus $229,000; and
Virginia, $3.4 million plus $560,000.
In addition, Alaska will receive $127,000 under the Section 410
incentive grant program; Arizona, $350,000; Arkansas, $294,000; Colorado,
$416,000; Connecticut, $234,000; District of Columbia, $145,000; Georgia,
$740,000; Indiana, $630,000; Iowa, 380,000; Kentucky, 380,000; Maryland,
$566,000; Michigan, 990,000; Minnesota, $674,000; Mississippi, $259,000;
Missouri, $565,000; Nebraska, $298,000; Nevada, $182,000; New Jersey,
$532,000; North Dakota, $209,000; Pennsylvania, $1.2 million; Tennessee,
$421,000; Texas, $1.4 million; Washington, $663,000; and Wisconsin, $683,000.
Funds provided as .08 BAC grants may be used to support a variety
of highway safety programs ranging from encouraging seat belt use and
special traffic enforcement programs to motorcycle safety education.
These grant funds also may be used for highway construction. Funds
provided under the "Section 410" provision may be used to support only
anti-drunk driving efforts such as providing retailer and alcohol-server
training programs, buying videotape equipment for police vehicles to
record drunk driving arrests, and supporting sobriety checkpoints.
The annual percentage of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in
the United States dropped to an historic low last year. It was the first
time since record-keeping began in 1975 that alcohol-related deaths
dropped below 40 percent of the total. In 1997, 16,189 traffic
fatalities -- 38.6 percent -- were alcohol-related out of a total of 41,967.
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