IMMEDIATE ACTION NECESSARY
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VOTE SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 31



The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on an amendment, which would allow the Secretary of Transportation to withhold federal highway funds from states that do not implement a .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level.



BACKGROUND


The Senate recently passed a similar amendment(see the March 2, 1998 Action Alert); the House will consider it next Tuesday when it debates HR 2400, which will authorize highway and transportation projects across the country.  



The House amendment, known as the Lowey-Canady-Castle amendment, is currently supported by over 100 representatives.  A total of 218 are needed for passage.  



For more information on this legislation, contact the Public Policy Office via e-mail at publicpolicy@ncadd.org.



WHAT YOU CAN DO


Call your representative at the Capitol Hill Switchboard (202/224-3121) and ask for his or her office and say:



VOTE YES on the Lowey-Canady-Castle amendment to HR 2400.  



Fourteen states and many other countries have successfully 
adopted a .08 BAC level, the level of intoxication at which critical driving skills are impaired for most drivers.



If the .08 standard were adopted across the country, we could save 500 lives every year.  That is the equivalent of three major airline disasters.



See the NCADD FYI: Impaired Driving for additional statistics and information on impaired driving.