WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) released updates to her legislation designed to reduce drunk driving deaths across the country.

The updated Honoring Abbas Family Legacy to Terminate (HALT) Drunk Driving Act will require the commercialization of and implement standards for passive alcohol detection systems in all new cars.

Dingell first introduced the legislation in January, after a drunk driver caused an accident that tragically killed Issam Abbas, Dr. Rima Abbas, and their three children of Northville.

The accident occurred on I-75 in Kentucky as the family was returning from a family vacation in Florida.

The driver, Georgetown, Kentucky resident Joey Lee Bailey, had a blood alcohol content level nearly four times the legal limit while he drove his pickup truck the wrong way on the highway.

I’m committed to continuing to work with advocacy groups, industry, and federal regulators so we can ensure the tragedy of the Abbas family is the last tragedy caused by drunk driving – Dingell

Dingell honored the lives of the Abbas family on the house floor and pledged action to reduce drunk driving accidents.

“Drunk driving has brought pain to my community in Dearborn and the country,” Dingell said this week. “Change and progress never come as fast as we’d like, but we need to do everything we can to ensure what happened to the Abbas family never happens again.

“The DADSS technology has the potential to save lives. The HALT Drunk Driving Act honors the Abbas’ family legacy by exploring the use of passive alcohol detection technology in all new cars. I’m committed to continuing to work with advocacy groups, industry and federal regulators so we can ensure the tragedy of the Abbas family is the last tragedy caused by drunk driving.”

The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) is an innovative technology that passively tests a driver’s intoxication. The technology does not require action from the driver, such as blowing into a breathalyzer, but will prevent the car from moving if tests for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) are above 0.08 percent – the legal limit in all 50 states except Utah.