Rep. Debbie Dingell: "Congress needs to step up and do something."
Here's one way to reduce drunk driving: U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell is pushing for federal legislation that would require vehicle technology to block intoxicated drivers from starting the ignition.
Dingell delivered her message at a House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee hearing Thursday, citing the deaths of five Abbas family members from Northville, Keith Laing of The Detroit News reports.
The family died Jan. 6 when a drunken driver going the wrong way on I-75 hit their SUV.
"Drunk driving brings pain to families and communities across this country," Dingell said. "Our community in Dearborn and in Michigan felt it only eight weeks ago. In January, the Abbas family, Itssam, Rima, Ali, Isabelle, and Giselle, were driving back from a family vacation in Florida when their car was struck head-on by a drunk driver. No one survived. Everyone in our community felt it. They were active, integral members of our community.
"But what's sad is this story has been repeated for years, over and over again. And Congress needs to step up and do something about it. Their deaths and the thousands just like them each year are avoidable and preventable. The technology exists to save lives."
Dingell has introduced legislation known as the Abbas Stop Drunk Driving Act that addresses the issue.
