EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, spoke out against an amendment she said could limit Congress’ ability to explore technology aimed at preventing drunk driving.

During a committee debate on Wednesday, June 3, Escobar opposed a Republican-backed amendment that would prohibit federal agencies from researching technologies aimed at preventing drunk driving. Escobar said lawmakers should keep all options on the table as they seek solutions to reduce impaired driving deaths. The amendment passed.

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“Texas is one of the worst states when it comes to drunk driving,” Escobar said.

The congresswoman pointed to statistics showing that five Texas cities rank among those with the highest rates of drunk driving fatalities in the country. She pointed out that El Paso has the highest percentage of alcohol-related crash fatalities among them, with 61% of fatal crashes involving alcohol.

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Escobar argued that Congress should keep all options on the table when considering ways to reduce impaired driving deaths.

“We should not be standing in the way of options provided to Congress,” she said.

She agreed that impaired driving extends beyond alcohol and also includes distracted driving, texting behind the wheel and drug impairment.

According to Escobar, studies show that a person drives under the influence an average of 80 times before being caught.

“In my community, my constituents think Congress isn’t doing enough to stop drunk driving,” Escobar said. “Vehicles are weapons when an impaired or drunk driver is behind the wheel.”

She then shed light on an organization made up of families who have lost loved ones in crashes involving impaired drivers called Sober Streets El Paso.

“They are a club no one wants to be a part of,” Escobar said. “They have lost children, spouses, loved ones, to someone who didn’t bother to order an Uber, a Lyft or get a ride home.”

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Escobar said lawmakers should continue looking into potential technologies and policy solutions that could reduce impaired driving deaths rather than limiting research efforts before Congress has an opportunity to evaluate them.

“There’s a lot of work we have to do as members to create safer communities, and I want to look at the menu of options,” she said. “I’d like for us to do more, not less.”

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