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DOT on the Enactment of Anti-Drunk Driving Measures

23 July 1998

        STATEMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY RODNEY SLATER
        ON ENACTMENT OF ANTI-DRUNK DRIVING MEASURES


        Today, President Clinton signed into law the IRS Restructuring
and Reform Act, which establishes new protections for America's
taxpayers. This law includes amendments related to the TEA-21
transportation legislation signed by the President last month.
Importantly, it adds tough new measures to help states fight drunk
driving. These measures reflect the President's commitment to safety, his
highest transportation priority.

        The new measures encourage states to establish minimum penalties
for repeat drunk-driving offenders and to ban people from driving with
open alcoholic beverage containers. Both measures will help us continue
to fight drunk driving and save lives, building on the progress which saw
alcohol-related traffic deaths drop to a record low last year.

        These measures complement $500 million in incentive grants to
encourage states to adopt tough 0.08 blood alcohol concentration
standards, a key provision of TEA-21. Congress inadvertently had not
included the repeat offender and open container initiatives when it
passed TEA-21, but agreed to incorporate both measures into the IRS
restructuring legislation.

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