H.R. 6704 — Drunk Driving Prevention and Enforcement Act of 2025

This section declares congressional findings that alcohol-impaired driving causes more than 12,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of serious injuries annually (which are 100% preventable); notes Congress's prior mandate under Section 24220 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58) for integration of passive advanced anti-drunk driving technology into all new passenger motor vehicles; states the need for accelerated deployment of consumer-ready such technologies; and recognizes the effectiveness of public-private innovation prize competitions. The section states the purpose of the Act to establish a competitive prize award program to incentivize deployment of effective, passive, consumer-ready anti-drunk driving technology for integration into passenger motor vehicles.

This section establishes a competitive prize program, administered by the Secretary of Transportation through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator, to award cash prizes for developing passive, advanced anti-drunk driving technologies—such as breath-based, touch-based, or other sensors—to prevent vehicle operation by drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above the legal limit or to enable consumer-ready vehicle installation. The program requires a widely advertised competitive selection process open to individuals, private entities, nonprofits, academic institutions, and consortia; a prize purse of not less than $45 million for a winner demonstrating consumer-ready technology for vehicle integration; and congressional notice within 15 days of any award, including technology details, anticipated benefits, and deployment recommendations. The section authorizes $50 million from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account), available until expended but not after September 30, 2028, for the prize purse, administration, evaluation, and outreach; and directs a report to specified congressional committees three years after enactment on program results and steps to accelerate vehicle integration, including under section 24220 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58) (i.e., mandate for advanced drunk driving prevention technology in passenger vehicles).

This section establishes a Traffic Safety Enforcement Center of Excellence within the Department of Transportation, not later than one year after enactment, to provide leadership and technical assistance to states and law enforcement agencies on traffic safety enforcement of hazardous driving behaviors (e.g., drunk driving, speeding, drug-impaired driving) with the goal of reducing roadway fatalities and injuries. The center must perform specified duties, including (1) serving as a central hub for expertise, tools, and support; (2) promoting evidence-based strategies and best-practice protocols; (3) developing training on data-driven enforcement; (4) assisting with real-time data use, gap assessments, and resource deployment; (5) providing technical assistance for grant programs under 23 U.S.C. §§402 (highway safety research and grants) and 405 (safety incentives); (6) launching demonstration projects; (7) convening stakeholders; and (8) collaborating across DOT administrations, with a workforce of DOT employees and detailees from other agencies. This section also requires a report to specified congressional committees within 90 days of enactment on the center's staffing needs and plan and authorizes $5 million annually for FY2026 and thereafter from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account).

This section establishes a national drug involved crash data collection system under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to collect standardized toxicology data from states on fatal and serious injury crashes involving drivers impaired by prescription, over-the-counter, controlled, or illicit psychoactive drugs (other than alcohol); link such data to medical, coroner, hospital, and emergency medical services records; provide model protocols for specimen collection, testing, and reporting; operate sentinel sites in multiple states; and issue annual reports to Congress and the public on trends, substance types, and geographic patterns. The section authorizes NHTSA to award grants to states (defined to include the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and specified territories) to support toxicology labs, specimen collection, training, data systems, and data linkages, prioritizing states with high-fatality, rural, or underserved areas and requiring a non-federal match unless hardship is demonstrated. Implementation must include model protocols published not later than 1 year after enactment, operational sentinel sites not later than 2 years after enactment, and statewide data collection beginning not later than 3 years after enactment. The section requires deidentified public data in compliance with federal and state privacy laws, including HIPAA, and authorizes $30 million annually for FY2026 through FY2031 from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account).