This May, Driven to Protect is leading the way in promoting National Youth Traffic Safety Month in Virginia. From the engineers developing the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) technology in the lab, to the parents and educators teaching students about safe driving across Virginia – it takes all of us working together to make Virginia roads as safe as possible. And we believe that our joint efforts will lead to a world without drunk driving.

In Virginia alone, drunk driving contributed to 247 crashes in 2021. Although Virginia has a zero-tolerance policy for those younger than the drinking age of 21; drivers under age 21 can be convicted of illegal consumption of alcohol even with a blood alcohol level less than 0.08%. It’s important to start the conversation with teens early – so they can avoid the life-altering, or even life-ending, effects of drunk driving.

We hope you’ll take the time this month to spread the word that May is National Youth Traffic Safety Month. You can download the materials below, or click here to see social content you can share directly through your accounts. In addition, we invite you to take the following actions to get involved: 

Share our social content throughout the month – or create your own content about why you want to see a future without drunk driving and tag 

Inspire students by bringing our STEM-based virtual learning modules into your own classroom – from hands-on projects to a fun Kahoot quiz. Visit the 

 to get access to all of our resources. You can also find the learning modules on Virtual Virginia.

 Send an e-newsletter or post a blurb on your website. Materials can be found alongside our social content 

 Interested in a guest speaker, a hands-on demonstration, or field trip for your students? Email 

 to start the conversation about other ways to integrate Driven to Protect into your classrooms, driver education trainings, or health and safety presentations.

 on Twitter for more information about the technology and traffic safety in Virginia.

View and download Youth Traffic Safety Month social graphics

Celebrating Youth Traffic Safety Month in Virginia 

On March 22, the Driven to Protect team attended Shamrock the Block in Richmond, Virginia. The admission-free festival featured high attendance from Richmond-area college students, as well as local community members.

Event attendees were able to interact with the breath sensor technology directly to learn about the role of the Virginia DMV and the DADSS Driven to Protect initiative, as well as the DADSS technology and its real-world applications to prevent drunk driving. This event specifically allowed for realistic engagement from community members who may have been consuming alcohol during the event.

Younger event attendees expressed great support for the DADSS technology and community members who visited the demonstration vehicle were enthusiastic about the life-saving goals of the Driven to Protect program. In addition, local police officers providing security for the event were pleased to learn about the goals of the DADSS program and the involvement of the Virginia DMV. We enjoyed educating visitors from the Commonwealth and beyond about the mission and goals of Driven to Protect and look forward to more successful events this year!

Driven to Protect at Shamrock the Block

On December 8, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) convened traffic safety partners to announce the next phase of the Driven to Protect Initiative in Virginia: an exciting new trial deployment with international transportation and logistics provider 

Schneider, an industry leader and innovator in truck safety technology, will be the first trucking company to work with the DADSS Program — marking a new milestone toward the commercialization of the DADSS technology and an important next step in testing. As part of this new trial deployment, Schneider will outfit eight of their cabs with the latest breath sensors in 2022, logging more than 100,000 sensor miles for each vehicle outfitted, for a collective total of almost one million miles. This deployment will help refine the technology by increasing the stress that the system is put under on the road, exponentially increasing the number of miles driven, and exposing the system to new drivers and a wider range of environmental conditions – all key to the DADSS Program’s quest to commercialize fully passive vehicle-integrated breath technology.

The effort builds upon Driven to Protect’s ongoing partnership with Virginia-based James River Transportation, which was the first time the breath sensors were tested as part of in-vehicle, on-road test trials involving light passenger vehicles.

 featured remarks from Richard D. Holcomb, commissioner of the Virginia DMV; Tom DiSalvi, vice president of safety, driver training, and compliance at Schneider; and Robert Strassburger, president and CEO of the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS).

“Virginians should be proud of our state’s leadership in public safety and technology innovation,” said Commissioner Holcomb. “The progress we have made since 2018 has advanced this game-changing anti-drunk driving technology, and I am excited to see how this new deployment will bring the technology one step closer to saving countless lives on our roadways.”

After the program, speakers and guests were able to get a close-up look at the DADSS technology in the Schneider truck, as well as in other demonstration vehicles. Those in attendance were also given a chance to learn more about the technology development process and see videos and resources available for Virginia educators and the public at the 

. Attendees were excited to see the progress the technology has made so far thanks to the deployments taking place in Virginia and were hopeful that a future without drunk driving is closer than ever before.

Check out out photos from the event here:

The Next Phase of Driven to Protect in Virginia 

Collaboration with Schneider will bring lifesaving technology one step closer to market

. – Today, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS) and Schneider (NYSE: SNDR), a premier provider of transportation, intermodal and logistics services, announced a collaboration that will make Schneider the first truckload carrier to conduct a trial deployment of lifesaving technology developed through the 

Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) Program

Since 2018, the Driven to Protect Initiative, a public-private partnership between the Virginia DMV and the DADSS Program, has been helping to test in-vehicle alcohol detection technology that will determine if a driver is impaired with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above the applicable legal limit[1] in the Commonwealth — and prevent the vehicle from moving.

“Virginians should be proud of our state’s leadership in public safety and technology innovation,” said 

Virginia DMV Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb, the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative

. “The progress we have made since 2018 has advanced this game-changing anti-drunk driving technology, and I am excited to see how this new deployment will bring the technology one step closer to saving countless lives on our roadways.”

Schneider is the first truckload carrier to work with the DADSS Program — marking a new milestone toward widespread deployment of in-vehicle alcohol detection technology. An industry leader and innovator in truck safety technology, Schneider implemented speed limiters in the 1980s and has continued to be an early adopter of other safety technology such as stability control systems, electronic logging devices, collision mitigation systems and forward- and side-mounted video cameras.

“Safety comes first at Schneider, always, and we believe in going above and beyond industry standards. We look forward to the opportunity to pilot groundbreaking safety technology developed to help save lives,” said 

Schneider Vice President of Safety, Driver Training and Compliance Tom DiSalvi

. “We know our team of professional drivers will embrace this technology because, just as with previous safety enhancements, they will be part of a solution that will make our highways safer.”

As part of this new trial deployment, Schneider will outfit eight of their cabs with the latest breath sensors in 2022, logging more than 100,000 sensor miles for each vehicle outfitted, for a collective total of almost one million miles. This pilot will help refine the technology by increasing the stress that the system is put under on the road, exponentially increasing the number of miles driven and exposing the system to new drivers and a wider range of environmental conditions — all key to the DADSS Program’s quest to commercialize fully passive vehicle-integrated breath technology.

The effort builds upon the Virginia DMV’s ongoing partnership with Virginia-based James River Transportation through the Driven to Protect Initiative, which was the first time the breath sensors were tested as part of in-vehicle, on-road test trials involving light passenger vehicles.

The DADSS technology suite remains widely accepted as the most promising and expedient pathway to prevent drunk driving fatalities on a large scale. Last month, Congress demonstrated its commitment to advanced technology solutions by including them in the new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which lays out a process for deploying advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology.

DADSS technology, once commercially available, could drastically reduce the number of drunk driving deaths in Virginia and across the United States. 

According to a study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)

, when widely deployed in all vehicles, such an alcohol detection system could help eliminate the number one cause of fatalities on U.S. roadways and save more than 9,000 lives each year. Last year, Virginia alone reported 6,624 alcohol-related crashes, 272 alcohol-related fatalities and 3,386 alcohol-related injuries on its roadways.

“With Virginia’s support, the DADSS technology has gone from an early prototype to a viable safety feature for all vehicles in the future, much like seat belts and airbags,” said 

Rob Strassburger, President and CEO of ACTS

Through Driven to Protect, Virginia continues to put the health and safety of its residents first by educating the next generation about responsible driving behavior and by advancing technology that can prevent additional drunk driving crashes, injuries, and deaths on its roads. In 2020, with partners including the Virginia Department of Education, Driven to Protect developed a virtual platform — the 

— to educate students about safe driving and the science behind the DADSS technology. Through these efforts, Driven to Protect has helped build awareness, acceptance and demand for this lifesaving technology among Virginians — bringing us one step closer to a world without drunk driving.

For more information about the Driven to Protect Initiative in Virginia, visit 

About The DADSS Program and Driven to Protect Initiative

The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) Program is a public-private partnership between the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS), which represents the world’s leading automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Public-private partnerships like DADSS have led to innovations that enhance our everyday lives, such as the internet, GPS and the microchip. The program is researching a first-of-its-kind technology called the alcohol detection system that will detect when a driver is impaired with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above the legal limit and prevent a vehicle from moving. The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department of Motor Vehicles has joined this program to support on-road testing and increase public awareness and acceptance of the technology through the 

Schneider is a premier provider of transportation and logistics services. Offering one of the broadest portfolios in the industry, Schneider’s solutions include 

With nearly $4.6 billion in annual revenue, Schneider has been safely delivering superior customer experiences and investing in innovation for over 85 years. The company’s digital marketplace, 

®, is revolutionizing the industry giving shippers access to an expanded, highly flexible capacity network and provides carriers with unmatched access to quality drop-and-hook freight – Always Delivering, Always Ahead.

For more information about Schneider, visit 

[1] The applicable legal limit for operators of commercial motor vehicles is 0.04%. The applicable limit for operators of privately owned light cars and trucks aged 21 years and older is 0.08%. There is a zero-tolerance limit for operators under the age of 21 years.

Driven to Protect Virginia Announces Largest Commercial Trial Deployment of Innovative, Alcohol Detection Technology to Date

On August 17th, the Driven to Protect team presented to the Future Leaders in Mobility at the Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) Headquarters in Herndon, VA.The Future Leaders in Mobility Program is a weeklong camp for rising high school juniors and seniors from underserved communities in the DMV area, created by VWGoA and the Greater Washington Urban League (GWUL), focused on teaching students about the range of STEM career opportunities in the automotive industry.

The team hosted the students, chaperons, and VWGoA executives outside of the VWGoA headquarters on the Learning Experience Trailer. The team presented information on alcohol and driving risks, the historical background and technical facts about the DADSS technologies, and the work the Driven to Protect team is doing in Virginia to advance the technologies. The team also focused on the specific careers the students could pursue to be involved in developing similar technology.

The students asked very insightful questions about the program, with many expressing their interest in pursuing an engineering career. Both the students and the chaperons were enthusiastic about the technology and program and commented on how the DADSS technologies would be helpful in preventing DUIs. In addition to the Learning Experience Trailer, the Driven to Protect team displayed the demo vehicles to give students the opportunity to check out the latest DADSS technology sensors.

At the end of the presentation, nearly all of the students said they would want the technology in their car and wanted to know when it would be available to the public. We had a wonderful time interacting with the students and were excited by their interest in the Driven to Protect initiative and the lifesaving DADSS technology.

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Celebrating Youth Traffic Safety Month in Virginia

Driven to Protect at Shamrock the Block

The Next Phase of Driven to Protect in Virginia

Driven to Protect Virginia Announces Largest Commercial Trial Deployment of Innovative, Alcohol Detection Technology to Date

Driven to Protect Presents to Future Leaders in Mobility Program