Home California Dodd Proposes New Bill That Bolsters Anti-Drunk Driving Campaign

Dodd Proposes New Bill That Bolsters Anti-Drunk Driving Campaign

by ECT

SACRAMENTO – Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) introduced a bill to bolster the state’s efforts to prevent drunk driving. The bill would increase the reach of the California Highway Patrol’s Designated Driver Program, which provides education and outreach to help prevent drunk driving.

“Drunk driving and related accidents, injuries and deaths are sadly too common,” said Senator Dodd. “We need to continue advancing policies that keep impaired individuals from getting behind the wheel. By increasing the reach of the state’s designated driver program, we’re working to help prevent drunk driving and ultimately save lives.”

According to the California Attorney General’s Office, in 2016 there were 125,501 DUI arrests statewide. The CHP reported 35,212 DUI-related accidents and 13,979 injuries that same year, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded 1,059 alcohol-impaired-driving deaths in the state.

Established in 1990, the Designated Driver Program is funded by a small surcharge paid by alcohol licensees, not taxpayer dollars. The program is administered by the CHP to develop and implement new strategies and technologies to combat the problem of driving under the influence.

“Auto crashes kill more than 30,000 Americans every year, with almost one-third of those deaths related to drunken driving. We can prevent many needless deaths by raising awareness about this problem, and that’s an effort AAA is proud to support,” said John Moreno, Manager of Public Affairs for AAA Northern California. “The pain of losing a loved one because of the negligence of a drunken driver is something no family should experience, and I’d like to thank Senator Dodd for helping to bring awareness to this issue and for supporting traffic safety in California.”

Dodd’s bill, SB 973, would double the funding available to the program by increasing the annual five dollar assessment on alcohol licensees to $10 per year. This will enable the CHP to undertake new outreach through social media and to target high impact locations. The bill is expected to be heard in committee in March.

###

Senator Bill Dodd represents California’s 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo, Sacramento, and Contra Costa Counties. You can learn more about Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.

 

You may also like

9 comments

Julio Feb 7, 2018 - 3:29 pm

I hope that includes broader language such a under the influence of all substances. We have a much bigger problem than just drunk driving.

Dmitri Feb 7, 2018 - 6:55 pm

Yes Julio, marijuana, just say it. You’re as out of touch like Jeff Sessions to the topic. Only using fear mongering, rather than data and logic. Get out from under the bed dude.

Melanie Feb 7, 2018 - 8:04 pm

Julio is a woman. She’s a dudette.

Nick Feb 7, 2018 - 5:15 pm

Nothing will prevent drunk driving until people stop drinking and getting behind the wheel.

Dirty Harry Feb 7, 2018 - 9:31 pm

Use Uber & Lyft as your designated driver. No need to drink and drive folks. Also, stay off the marijuana if you plan on getting behind the wheel. That’s just stupid!

Dirty Harry Feb 7, 2018 - 9:43 pm

After several high profile DUI related traffic collisions over the years, CHP implemented the “Enough is Enough” safety campaign to reduce the number of drivers on the road under the influence.
During the campaign, officials found a spike in the number of people driving high.
According to the Golden Gate Division, which Contra Costa County is part of, during their campaign – which took place during the month of January – CHP arrested 307 impaired drivers for DUI and of those arrests 13 of them were under the influence of marijuana. Compared to reports from from all of 2017, 261 people were arrested for DUI and only 2 of those arrests where weed related.

Margaret Feb 8, 2018 - 7:36 am

Just because something is being researched now, doesn’t mean it hasn’t always been happening. And you say there’s been a spike but then show how small the scale is. As someone who witnessed a head on collision on highway 12 between Rio Vista and Sacramento, I saw the drunk driver jump out of his truck unscathed in socks, while the other driver passed away; as well as seeing alcohol withdrawals and overdoses. Don’t believe the modern yellow journalism and smear campaign of the plant (its played out and nonsensical with each generation), instead do yourself a favor and research the endocannabinoid system.

Dirty Harry Feb 10, 2018 - 10:16 am

I’m sure the individual in the socks was the cause of the head on. Most drivers that are high or drunk that cause accidents survive while the opter party does not. Are you trying to justify this is right?

Melanie Feb 8, 2018 - 9:07 am

I wouldn’t take Uber or Lyft, especially if I’d been drinking. Uber and Lyft are internet hitchhiking, and getting in the personal vehicle of total stranger (especially a woman alone who’s drunk) sets you up for sexual assault. It happens all the time.

If you’re out drinking – have a designated driver you know and trust.

Comments are closed.