Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Contracts and Procurement, NAD-30, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Room 5301, Washington, D.C. 20590

B -- HOSPITAL REPORTING OF BACS TO POLICE SOL DTNH22-97-R-05170 DUE 071797 POC Point of Contact -- Contacting Officer, S. Peter Shultz, (202) 366-9561 When alcohol-impaired drivers are injured seriously enough to be taken to an emergency room, they are often tested by the hospital for blood alcohol content (BAC) for medical purposes. However, in most states, this evidence is unavailable to the police and the courts unless an officer requests the test, and follows the chain of evidence (or receives the sample and has it tested through police channels). Under this contract, the contractor shall conduct a study over a period of twenty-four (24) months. During the first stage, the contractor shall review the literature for reports dealing with legal and procedural issues that increase the chances that an alcohol-impaired driver injured in a crash will be arrested and convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI). Specifically, the contractor shall identify states with laws requiring or allowing doctors or other health care professionals to relay results of a blood test for alcohol content to a police officer or police organization when the patient can be reasonably presumed to be the driver of a motor vehicle on a public road and when the results of the test are over the legal limit for that state. The contractor shall also identify what data are available for evaluating the effect of such laws on arrests and convictions of injured alcohol-impaired drivers. The contractor shall prepare a report identifying which states have such laws, comparing the differences among them, and listing data available for evaluating the laws. During the second stage of the contract, the contractor shall analyze the effectiveness of these laws. The analysis shall include a review of the number of arrests and convictions of alcohol-impaired injured drivers and the possible costs, especially time costs, to the health professionals, police, prosecutors, and courts. The solicitation for this research effort will be mailed to those interested parties responding by letter or FAX (202) 366-9555. No telephone requests, please. The anticipated RFP issue date is 17 June 1997 (AC0528074-01) (0148)

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