Senate Approves Dodd’s Anti-Drunken Driving Measure

Monday, April 23, 2018

SACRAMENTO – A bill from Senator Bill Dodd, D-Napa, to bolster the state’s drunken driving prevention program won overwhelming bipartisan support Monday in the Senate.

“Drunken driving is taking a heavy toll on our state and we must do everything we can to prevent it,” Sen. Dodd said. “This bill will help reduce the number of people who drink before getting behind the wheel, saving lives and protecting everyone on the road. I applaud my fellow senators for supporting it and taking an important step toward addressing this vexing problem.”

Senate Bill 973 doubles the amount of funding available for the California Highway Patrol’s prevention program by increasing the annual assessment on alcohol licenses from $5 to $10. The money will allow the CHP to step up public outreach through social media and to target high-impact locations. It passed by a vote of 36-2 and moves next to the Assembly for further consideration.

The state Attorney General’s Office said more than 125,000 people were arrested for drunken-driving in California in 2016 with 35,212 alcohol-related crashes causing 13,979 injuries. The same year, drunken-driving crashes killed 1,059 people statewide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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

The bill is supported by AAA Northern California, the California Association of Highway Patrolmen and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

"The California Highway Patrol is our state's front line defense against drunken driving, and funding programs to increase designated driver programs and alternative transportation options is an effort AAA is proud to support," said John Moreno, public affairs manager 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 the California Senate, and Senator Dodd in particular, for their commitment to making California's roads safer for everyone." 

###

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.